Pakistan pacer Mohammad Irfan hails India captain Virat Kohli as great player with great heart

Courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the biggest name in the world cricket. Since taking over captaincy reigns from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the 29-year-old has been leading India from the front. In the process, he has earned an unrivaled fan following all over the world. And many of those are rival Pakistani players.

Latest Pakistani cricketer to join the ever-growing Kohli-fan list Mohammad Irfan. The tall pacer recently took to Twitter to share his admiration for the Indian captain.

In the post, the 35-year-old hailed Kohli as a "player with a great heart."

What a gentleman @imVkohli is! Great player with a great heart. Prayers for you my friend. Hope that we play more often in grounds. #Respect https://t.co/ovKWuEM4TL — Mohammad Irfan (@M_IrfanOfficial) November 6, 2017

Before that legendary Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar had praised Kohli. Akhtar said that he was better off not bowling at all when Kohli was batting.

I was better off not bowling at all when #Kohli was batting.Jokes apart,he's a gr8 batsman & bowling agnst him wud have been a gr8 contest. pic.twitter.com/EHL32UpXrU — Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 4, 2017

Both the comments can be read as reactions to Kohli's complements on the Pakistani cricketers. On Breakfast with Champions, Kohli heaped praise on both the bowlers and had special words for Akhtar.

“I have never faced Shoaib Akhtar. But I have seen him in a game in Dambula against Pakistan. I got out. I couldn’t face him. He looked lethal. When I saw that, I realised what it would feel like after his ball hit the batsmen on the body,” Kohli said.

Kohli has led India to yet another series win by defeating New Zealand 2-1 in a three-match T20I series. India next series is against the visiting Sri Lanka, with the first of three Test matches starting next Thursday (November 16).