Pakistan fan meets Virat Kohli in Perth, left awestruck by Rohit Sharma’s gesture

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli make fan's day at Perth. (Photo: ICC)

Long-standing geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan grew more intense after this year's Pahalgam terror assault. During the Asia Cup last month, where the teams played each other three times, including in the final, the Suryakumar Yadav-led men's T20I squad refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, demonstrating how the tension has permeated sports. Later, in their latest ODI World Cup match against Pakistan earlier this month, the women's team led by Harmanpreet Kaur did the same.

Amid all the tension and chatter, Virat Kohli didn’t think twice before signing an autograph for a Pakistan fan named Shahil from Karachi. In a video shared by RevSportz on Thursday, the fan was seen patiently waiting outside the team hotel in Perth. When Kohli stepped out, he obliged by signing the fan’s Royal Challengers Bangalore jersey.

After keeping his kit bag, Kohli approached the fan to autograph the jersey, while seemingly heading off to the optional training session that the team management had planned for Thursday.

While the gesture delighted onlookers, what truly left the fan in awe was Rohit Sharma’s response. Despite already being seated inside the team bus, the 38-year-old skipper stepped out to sign the Indian jersey the Pakistan supporter was carrying.

"It was lovely meeting Kohli. I have met him before as well. He is very humble. I had just asked him once," said Sahil. “Same for Rohit, who was already sitting the bus. I just signaled him, requesting for an autograph...I mean that's a lot.”

 A lucky fan of Virat Kohli from Karachi got his RCB jersey signed by the star batter. @rohitjuglan @ThumsUpOfficial #ViratKohli #TeamIndia #AUSvsIND #CricketFans pic.twitter.com/gujRTYbwee

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— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) October 16, 2025

The first group of players to arrive in Perth early on Thursday for the forthcoming three-match ODI series against Australia includes Rohit and Kohli as well as other notable players, including recently appointed ODI captain Shubman Gill.

The series is scheduled to get underway on October 19 at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Along with a few support staff members, the initial batch included KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. After taking an evening flight from Delhi on Wednesday, head coach Gautam Gambhir, bowling coach Morne Morkel, all-rounder Axar Patel, and spinner Kuldeep Yadav joined them later in the day.

Since it would be Rohit and Kohli's first international appearance since India's Champions Trophy victory in March, the one-day series has created a lot of buzz. But over the past eight months, a lot of things have changed, and the main focus now is on the two mainstays' futures and if they will be part of the 2027 ODI World Cup plans.

Despite having previously retired from Test and Twenty20 international cricket, they are reportedly eager to play at least till the World Cup in South Africa.