Mohammad Rizwan has happy memories from the 2021 T20 World Cup. Not only did the Pakistan cricket team star score over 280 runs in six matches in the showpiece event, but he was also part of the side that beat Indian cricket team for the first time in a World Cup game. Pakistan started the tournament with a 10-win over India, as Rizwan scored an unbeaten 79*. After the game, then India captain Virat Kohli could be seen walking up to the 29-year-old Rizwan and congratulating him for his brilliant knock.
That gesture left a mark on Rizwan, who is currently playing the County Championship for Sussex. India's Cheteshwar Pujara is one of his teammates. Rizwan has been following Kohli's recent performances too.
"Virat Kohli is a champion player but the stage he is currently going through, we can only pray for him. Because he is a hard woker. Every player goes through such phase. There are good times and then there are bad times. All good players who have scored centuries, have been out for zero. This is a cycle of life," Rizwan told Cricwick in an interview.
"I am hopeful that with his hard work, he will be able to control things once again."
Talking about Pakistan's win over India in the T20 World Cupm he said: "I have never seen such scenes in the dressing room. All the players were so happy. Our media manager told me that he had been getting congratulatory messages. Even Shaheen Afridi said that. I have never been part of such big matches. So, it was a new experience for me."