Pakistan-Origin Cricketer Shayan Jahangir's Ultimate Goal: ‘Play Against Virat Kohli’

Shayan Jahangir, an American batter of Pakistani origin, holds a desire to face off against India's star batter Virat Kohli.

Jahangir expressed his ultimate goal of playing against Virat Kohli. (Credits: Twitter)

Shayan Jahangir, a former Pakistan Under-19 batter, now representing the United States cricket team, scored his maiden century in an ICC ODI World Cup 2023 qualifier against Nepal. However, despite his impressive unbeaten knock of 100 runs off 79 balls, his team couldn’t win the match, with Nepal beating the USA by six wickets.

Jahangir expressed his ultimate goal of playing against Virat Kohli, aiming to showcase his skills as another formidable batsman in the cricketing world.

Following his remarkable century, Jahangir expressed his aspirations to play against none other than Virat Kohli and prove that he, too, is a formidable batsman in his own right.

“My ultimate goal is to play against Virat Kohli and demonstrate that there's another talented batter ready to seize opportunities in the prominent leagues," Jahangir shared with ICC after the match.

Jahangir has an impressive cricketing background, having been a part of the Pakistan U19 team alongside players such as Sami Islam, Imam-Ul-Haq, and Hussain Talat. He also gained experience playing for Pakistan International Airlines in domestic cricket before eventually moving to the United States.

Additionally, the 28-year-old had the opportunity to showcase his skills while representing the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

In his ODI career, Jahangir has participated in nine matches, accumulating 235 runs at an average of 33.57 and a strike rate of 90.73. His century against Nepal was his first-ever in ODIs.

Nepal beat USA in their World Cup qualifying match

In the World Cup Qualifier match between USA and Nepal, the former won the toss and chose to bat first. Opening batsman Sushant Modani provided a solid start, contributing 42 runs to the team's total. The highlight of the innings was Shayan Jahangir’s unbeaten knock of 100 runs off just 79 balls, helping the USA reach a competitive total of 207 runs.

In their chase, Nepal displayed an impressive batting performance. Kushal Bhurtel, the opening batsman, played a notable innings, scoring 39 runs off 54 deliveries. However, it was the unbeaten partnership of Bhim Sharki and Dipendra Singh Airee that guided Nepal to a thrilling victory, successfully chasing down the target set by the USA.