Singer Asim Azhar has opened up about his meeting with Virat Kohli a day after India’s stunning victory over Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Appearing on a TV programme, Asim recalled the night Pakistan came agonisingly close to winning before Kohli’s unbeaten 82 off 53 balls steered India to a miraculous 160-run chase.
“That moment…I had no idea it would happen. It was the next morning after Pakistan lost to India at the MCG. Honestly, when we watched that match live, whether in the stadium or on TV, I think for almost three to three-and-a-half hours, Pakistan was winning that game,” Asim said.
“And when something like that happens right in front of your eyes, when one person single-handedly takes the game away from you. The funny thing is, when I met him the next day, he himself said, ‘I still don’t know how that happened,'” he added.
Asim said that during the conversation, he didn’t even get a proper chance to say much because his mind ‘just went blank’.
“It’s natural, when you meet a top superstar you really admire, that’s what happens,” he said.
The singer also revealed that Kohli is a known admirer of Pakistan captain Babar Azam. “He himself really, really likes Babar Azam’s batting. Of course, he has said that many times. So that’s a big thing.”
After the meeting, Kohli gifted Asim a signed shirt.
Asim shared a picture with the Indian batter on Twitter and wrote, “I was always a fan of your cricket, but now a bigger fan of the person you are. Thank you for your time and kindness Virat Kohli Bhai.”
In the 2022 match, India needed 48 runs off the last 18 balls when Kohli took on Haris Rauf in the 19th over, hitting two consecutive sixes to bring the equation down to 16 off the final over.
Mohammad Nawaz bowled the last over and dismissed Hardik Pandya on the first ball, giving Pakistan a glimmer of hope. However, a wide on the penultimate delivery and a lofted shot by R Ashwin over mid-off on the last ball sealed a famous four-wicket win for India with no balls to spare.
