"If Virat Kohli comes to Pakistan..." - Shahid Afridi issues warning as he fires shots at Indian fans

Calling Virat Kohli his favorite player, former cricketer Shahid Afridi has said that the India star will forget the hospitality he gets in his own country if he visits Pakistan.

Shahid Afridi's remarks have come at a time when reports are stating that India are unlikely to visit Pakistan next year for the highly-anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Pakistan do have the hosting rights for the competitions but India are unlikely to visit the country for the tournament. Reports state that India are likely to play their games at a neutral venue with UAE emerging as the front-runner.

A similar arrangement was done last year as well when Pakistan were the hosts of the Asia Cup. The tournament was played in a hybrid model. As a result, India played their games in Sri Lanka. It would not be surprising if the ICC comes up with the same model for the Champions Trophy as well.

I welcome the Indian team to Pakistan: Shahid Afridi

While only time will tell whether India visit Pakistan or not, Shahid Afridi has urged the team to visit the country next year. The Pakistan great recalled the support and adulation the Pakistan players received when they toured India and said that sports should be kept away from politics.

"I welcome the Indian team to Pakistan. We have gotten a lot of respect in India when Pakistan has toured India. The Pakistan team also got a lot of love in India when we toured in 2005. Sports should be kept away from politics. There is nothing better than politics than both teams playing cricket against each other," Shahid Afridi told News24 Sports.

Speaking further, he talked about Virat Kohli, saying that there is a lot of craze for the Indian star in Pakistan. He also said that Kohli should not have retired from T20Is. The former India skipper announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game after the T20 World Cup win last month.

"If Virat Kohli comes to Pakistan, he'll forget the hospitality of India. There is a lot of craze for him in Pakistan. People like him a lot in Pakistan.

"He is my favourite player. He should not have retired from T20Is because T20Is looked better because of him. He could have played more. He is in form, he is fit, he trains everyday," said Afridi.

Shahid Afridi said, "Virat has lots of fans in Pakistan, we're eager to see Virat play in Pakistan". pic.twitter.com/hWoDOSrMXr

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