'Pakistani hospitality at its best': Viral video shows man not letting Vikrant Gupta, others pay

Indian sports journalist Vikrant Gupta recently visited Lahore for the Champions Trophy 2025 and shared his experiences about the trip, cricket, and the love for the game that transcends borders.

Adding to this warm reception, another moment caught attention in a video circulating online. While visiting a local food cart, people insisted that he should not pay for his food, saying they would cover the cost instead.

During an interview with Samaa, when asked about his experience in Lahore, Gupta expressed his appreciation for the hospitality he received. He said, "The hospitality has been fantastic. As a journalist, when you travel, you know that you are not the story. Of course, you are chasing stories. But here, in the last two days, it felt like people started believing that I am the story, which is not correct."

Gupta was surprised to witness the admiration for Indian players firsthand. He shared an incident from a live show he conducted for Sports Tak in Pakistan. "During the show, people were chanting 'Kohli, Kohli!' It was an eye-opening moment for me. So, I asked, 'Just Kohli, Kohli?' Then, the crowd responded with 'Rohit, Rohit!' I asked again, and they said, 'Dhoni, Dhoni! Bumrah!' It was a pleasant surprise for me as an Indian," he said.

He recalled a similar experience during the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne when Pakistan lost a close match to India. Even after the loss, Pakistani fans were seen praising Virat Kohli’s innings.

"I went live after the match, and for the first 10 minutes, only Pakistani fans were coming out. Despite their team losing a nail-biting game, they were saying, 'Yes, we are sad, but did you see Virat's batting?' I was stunned. Virat's century was celebrated here. I hope he saw those videos," he further added.

Shifting the focus to cricket, Vikrant Gupta discussed India's strong performance in recent years and Pakistan's struggle to maintain consistency. He pointed out, "India has been winning consistently in a dominating fashion. If we only keep talking, nothing will change. You cannot be like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand, pretending not to see the reality. You need vision."

He said, "Countries like Australia and England have had strong cricketing traditions, but even they faced ups and downs. India, after winning the 1983 World Cup, took time to build itself into a consistent cricketing force. But over the last 20 years, India has become a dominant team, defeating big teams on their turf."

He believes that Pakistan used to rely heavily on individual performances, but now, even that is not enough. He said, "Up until 2017 or even the 2019 World Cup, Pakistan had players who could individually turn the game around. Now, against India, the team plays in a strange manner. This is not just about India; it is a reflection of how Pakistan is performing against other teams as well."

Gupta concluded by emphasising that Pakistan needs to focus on long-term development rather than depending on a few standout players.

It is worth mentioning that Pakistan's consecutive defeats to New Zealand and arch-rivals India led to their elimination from the Champions Trophy 2025.