Only career milestone left for Virat Kohli to achieve is to tour Pakistan: Younis Khan

Former Pakistani cricket team captain Younis Khan has sent a message of goodwill to Indian great Virat Kohli to play one last match in Pakistan.

Last month, Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced they had played their last T20 internationals after India’s thrilling seven-run win over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados.

Star batsman Kohli put a run of low scores behind him to make 76 as he was named player of the match, with the 35-year-old saying afterward: “This was my last T20 World Cup, and this is what we wanted to achieve.”

However, India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday said he believes both the veteran batsmen can continue playing until the 2027 World Cup if they remain fit, adding that the decision was entirely up to them.

“Virat Kohli should come to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. It is our wish too. I think the only thing left in Virat’s career is to tour Pakistan and perform,” the Hindustan Times quoted Khan as saying, according to OneCricket.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has slotted its team’s marquee Champions Trophy match against arch-foes India in Lahore on March 1 next year but the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to give its consent to the tentative schedule.

The tournament is slated from Feb 19 to March 9 with March 10 as reserve day. It is understood that PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was invited to watch the T20 World Cup final in Barbados, submitted a 15-match schedule with all of India’s games kept in Lahore for security and logistical reasons.

Later on, it was reported that PCB wants the BCCI to provide written proof of the Indian government’s denial of permission in case the team refuses to come here for the 2025 Champions Trophy, citing a travel ban on security grounds, a PCB source had said.

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency, the PCB also wanted the matter to be sorted as soon as possible, given that the eight-nation tournament is scheduled for February-March.