 "Despite Pakistan losing to India, Pakistani fans celebrated Virat Kohli's century. Image: Reuters")
Virat Kohli has a unique aura in world cricket, evident from the fact that the star batter enjoys immense popularity in Pakistan despite the strained political relations between India and its neighbour. One good example of Kohli’s popularity in Pakistan emerged after he smashed an unbeaten 100 off 111 balls as India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the Champions Trophy 2025 on Sunday.
Champions Trophy 2025: News | Schedule | Results | Points Table
Kohli became the reason behind Pakistan’s defeat but Pakistani supporters were not only gracious enough to appreciate the 36-year-old’s record-braking knock but also cheered his century. A video of Pakistani fans celebrating Kohli’s century against Pakistan at a gathering in the Radisson Blu resort in Murree (Islamabad) is going viral on social media platforms.
Fans in Pakistan celebrate Kohli’s century
The video has been shared by Muhammad Faizan Aslam Khan, a journalist affiliated with GTV News HD, as per his social media handle on X. He captioned the video: “Cricket fans in Islamabad celebrating Virat Kohli’s century”
Meanwhile, it’s not just the experts and former cricketers , even the Pakistani fans it seems have stopped supporting their team. After Pakistan was thrashed by India in the Champions Trophy 2025 encounter on Sunday in Dubai, the Pakistani fans who had congregated to watch the mega clash on a big screen in Islamabad, lambasted Mohammad Rizwan and Co for lacking the necessary skills and fitness.
“They (Pakistan team) don’t have the required efforts, fitness or skills, that is why we supported India in today’s match," a Pakistani fan, who was donning Team India Jersey, told Reuters in Islamabad. “We know that they (Pakistan Cricket team) cannot beat their (Indian Cricket Team) calibre, skills and form. Virat Kohli was out of form for the last year, but we knew he would return to his form once he faced Pakistan and hit a century."
Impact Shorts
More ShortsPakistani cricket fans slam their own team
Another Pakistani cricket fan asked the team to work on their skills, stating that only good wishes will not help. “Pakistan should work on its skills. We keep praying for us to win, but we are not working on our performance," the cricket fan said.
One of the fans said the Pakistan team needs to be ‘held accountable’ for playing with the sentiments of the supporters.
“The performance was very poor even in fielding. They should undergo better training, and there should be some accountability for playing with the sentiments of the people," he said.
Pakistan are now on the brink of elimination from the Champions Trophy 202 5 after a defeat to India. Their fat now depends on New Zealand vs Bangladesh match which will be played on Monday.