3 pairs of India-Pakistan players who look similar
India and Pakistan are two of the most dominant teams in world cricket. Both nations have achieved the rare feat of winning the 50-over World Cup and the T20 World Cup. The India-Pakistan rivalry has entertained billions of fans across the world.
Every year, cricket-governing bodies plan India vs. Pakistan matches at the grand events to ensure high viewership numbers for the tournament. The two neighboring countries have not played bilateral cricket since 2012/13. Yet their rivalry remains unmatched in terms of viewership and fan following.
Many players have represented the two Asian countries in international cricket history. Fans who follow cricket closely have observed that there are a few players in the two teams who look quite similar to each other.
In this listicle, we will look at the three Pakistani cricketers who are lookalikes of Indian players.
#1 Virat Kohli and Saud Shakeel
Saud Shakeel made his international debut for Pakistan in an ODI match against England back in July 2021. Shakeel's beard style is quite similar to star Indian batter Virat Kohli.
When Shakeel came out to bat for Pakistan wearing a helmet, fans on social media noticed the similarity in his and Virat Kohli's looks. Kohli and Shakeel look similar when wearing helmets, but their records in international cricket are quite contrasting.
Kohli has smashed 74 centuries in international cricket, while Shakeel has played only 10 matches so far. The Pakistan batter has played five Tests and five ODIs, scoring 647 runs for his nation. It will be interesting to see if Shakeel can make it big like Kohli.
#2 Virat Kohli and Ahmed Shehzad
Another Pakistan batter who has a similar look like Virat Kohli is Ahmed Shehzad. Shehzad was once the opener of the Pakistan men's team in all formats of international cricket, but he has now lost his place in the squad.
In case you didn't know, Shehzad is the youngest player in the world to record a century in all three formats of international matches. The Pakistan batter felt that he could have become a big star like Virat had he received enough backing from his seniors.
“I have said this before, and I will say it again, Kohli’s career picked off amazingly because he found MS Dhoni but unfortunately, here in Pakistan, your people cannot stand your success. Our senior players and ex-cricketers cannot digest seeing someone succeed in the cricketing world, which is unfortunate for Pakistan cricket,” Ahmed Shehzad told Cricket Pakistan in an interview last year.
#3 Harmanpreet Kaur and Bismah Maroof
Indian women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan women's team skipper Bismah Maroof have a similar look as well. When the two captains came out for the toss yesterday in Cape Town for the Women's T20 World Cup match, fans on social media wrote that they look like sisters.
Kaur and Maroof have achieved a lot of success in international cricket so far. The Indian skipper won the battle with her Pakistani counterpart yesterday as the Women in Blue cruised to a seven-wicket victory in the group-stage match.