Legendary Pakistani cricketer Younis Khan has made a heartfelt appeal to Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli, urging him to participate in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.
With the event being hosted by Pakistan, the Indian team’s participation remains uncertain due to the BCCI’s firm stance against sending its players to Pakistan.
Younis emphasized that the only milestone left in Kohli’s illustrious career is to play and perform for Pakistan.
Although Kohli toured Pakistan with India’s U-19 team in 2006, he has never played there for the senior national team. Kohli, however, has faced Pakistan in several ICC tournaments, posting an impressive record against the arch-rivals.
“Virat Kohli yahan pe aayein aur aake wo waise hi perform kare. Ek feather reh gaya hai unke career mein ki unhone Pakistan mai nahi khela. Agar wo aayenge toh hum sabko bohot acha lagega,” Younis said News24expressing his wish for Kohli to come to Pakistan and play in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
India have not participated in any bilateral cricket series with Pakistan since 2012 and the two nations have not contested a Test series since Pakistan’s tour of India in 2007.
Speculation is rife about India’s desire to play their matches away from Pakistan, adding to the uncertainty surrounding their participation in the Champions Trophy.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given the responsibility to the ICC to convince the BCCI to send their team to Pakistan for the upcoming tournament. A PCB source revealed that while the budget for the Champions Trophy was approved during the recent ICC meetings in Colombo, the schedule and format were not discussed.
“The PCB has submitted the draft schedule and format for the event as well as a budget. Now it is up to the ICC to finalize the schedule,” said one of the PCB insiders.
“The PCB has proposed hosting all India’s matches in Lahore, including a semi-final and a final if India qualifies.”
Despite these efforts, India’s readiness to visit Pakistan remains doubtful. Under the draft, India’s matches would be played in Lahore, but the BCCI is reportedly balking, suggesting a hybrid model instead.
This uncertainty could mean that Kohli may never play a match in Pakistan. The former captain has retired from T20Is and is now focusing on ODIs, Tests and IPL.
In his call to action, Younis Khan reiterated the importance of Kohli playing in Pakistan, calling it “the only thing left” in his career.
Kohli, who played against Pakistan during their limited-overs tour of India in December 2012, has consistently performed well against Pakistan in both white-ball formats in the Asia Cup and World Cups, but he has not has yet faced in Test cricket.
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