Abrar Ahmed reveals teasing Virat Kohli but praises his composure

Pakistan wrist-spinner Abrar Ahmed recently revealed that he teased Virat Kohli to hit him for a six during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash between India and Pakistan in Dubai. Despite the provocation, Kohli remained calm and focused, eventually guiding India to victory with a match-winning century.

India and Pakistan faced off in their second group-stage game on February 23, where Kohli played a masterful knock of 100* off 111 balls, leading India to a six-wicket win. Throughout his innings, the star batter took a cautious approach against the spinners, including Abrar, who extracted good turn from the surface.

“My childhood dream of bowling to Kohli has come true in Dubai. It was a great challenge, and I took the liberty of teasing him, asking him to hit me for a six, but he never got angry. Kohli is a great batter, we all know that. But he is a great human being too,” Abrar told Telecom Asia Sport.

Virat Kohli’s praise and Abrar Ahmed’s celebration controversy

Abrar also shared that Kohli appreciated his bowling after the game, which made his day. The young spinner mentioned that he had dreamed of bowling to Kohli since his under-19 days.

“He said, ‘well bowled’ after the match, and that made my day. I have grown up idolizing Kohli and used to tell Under-19 players that one day I will bowl to him,” Abrar said.

During the match, Abrar dismissed India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill with a stunning delivery and finished with figures of 1/28 in ten overs. However, his celebration, folding his arms and giving Gill a stare drew criticism from several former cricketers, including Wasim Akram. Addressing the controversy, Abrar apologized if his actions offended anyone.

“That’s my style, and I see nothing wrong with it. No official told me that I did anything wrong, but if it hurt anyone, I am sorry for that. It was not my intention to hurt anyone,” he added.

The Pakistan spinner will next be seen in action in the upcoming T20I and ODI series against New Zealand, set to begin on March 16.

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