NEW DELHI: Former Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi has expressed that if star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli visits Pakistan, he will be overwhelmed by the love and admiration he receives from Pakistani fans.

Amid reports suggesting India’s reluctance to participate in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan, Afridi urged the Indian team to visit the country, setting aside the political tensions between the two nations.

“I welcome the Indian team (in Pakistan) and they should come. We’ve always received huge respect and love in our tours of India. In the same way, the Indian team also received love and respect during their tour in 2005. Cricket tours should be kept aside from politics. There is no big politics than India and Pakistan playing against each other in their countries,” Afridi told News24 Sports’ YouTube channel, as quoted by IANS.

“Virat will forget the love he has received in India when he would play in Pakistan. He has a huge craze in Pakistan and our people like him very much. In fact, he is my favourite player. He has his own class and he shouldn’t have retired from T20Is as because of him T20I looked beautiful,” he added.

Regarding the future of Indian cricket, Afridi identified Shubman Gill as a potential successor to legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

“IPL has created so much talent pool for India that they can make two teams,” the former all-rounder noted.

Turning his attention to the Pakistan cricket administration, Afridi emphasized the importance of appointing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman for an extended tenure.

“Chairman should at least get three years so that Pakistan captain can remain for 2-3 years at his post. With the change of chairman, other things should not be affected. If we work on the basis of merit, the results will come,” concluded Afridi.