Hussain Ahmad's Kohli-mania began in 2008 when he led the U-19 team to the World Cup title in Malaysia.Virat Kohli’s 100th Test: Hussain Ahmad could be in Gujranwala, some 292km away from Mohali, across the Pakistan border. But his heart would be in the Punjab town, where his idol Virat Kohli would play his 100th Test match, starting Friday. Throughout the game, Hussain— who became a social media star when he kept waving the batsman’s poster during a PSL game last month in Lahore—would be wearing the replica of Kohli’s Test jersey, which a friend had brought for him from Dubai.
Hussain Ahmad with Kohli poster during PSL game. (Spl arrangement)
His friends and family would be hooked to Pakistan’s Test against Australia, which too starts on Friday, but not Hussain. “Eh tan do deshan di sarhad ne rok lagai hoi hai, nahi tan main King Kohli de sauwe Test match zarure dekhan jana si (If there was no boundary and restrictions between the two countries, I would have watched King Kohli’s 100th Test match at the stadium),” he tells The Indian Express.
“It’s destiny that I cannot watch his 100th Test match but I wish he plays his 150th or 200th Test match at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and we will be cheering for him,” he adds. He has two other wishes too. That Kohli scores a century in Mohali, thus ending his century drought, and one day faces Shaheen Afridi at the Gadaffi.
Son of a havaldar, Hussain’s Kohli-mania began in 2008 when he led the U-19 team to the World Cup title in Malaysia. He not only watched the games but also saved newspaper clippings. His admiration grew further during the 50-over World Cup in 2011.
His father, despite his background, never scolded him for cheering for Kohli. “He never stopped me from supporting Kohli or the Indian team. The only time he scolded me was when I would watch India’s matches late into the night or too early in the morning, as it was not allowed for kids,” he recounts.
As Kohli’s stature swelled, he would even bunk classes to watch the games, even if he was playing in vastly different time zones like Australia or West Indies. He woke his friends and family up to celebrate his hundreds or some other milestone. At times, he has taken a great deal of pain to watch him. “During the 2015 World Cup semifinal, there was no electricity in my village and I climbed a small hill keeping track of the score on my phone,” he says.
There have been times when he had to cop abuse from fellow spectators, especially when he unfurled the Kohli poster during the PSL game. “Some got too emotional and called me unpatriotic and I should run away to India. I told them that I love my country more than anything else and my love for Kohli does not make me any less patriotic,” he says.
Even the guy who printed the poster with words—I want to see your century in Pakistan. #Peace—was amused. “What is the use of Virat Kohli’s poster in a PSl match?” he asked. I replied: “It’s my wish to see him play in Pakistan one day.”
To those friends bantering about Kohli’s century drought or him quitting captaincy, he would retort that the “The King will return.” “Don’t ask how many times I have been teased by friends. But when he smashed Shaheen Afridi for a six in the World T20 last year, I too replied to them. Watching Kohli appreciate Babar and Rizwan after the match was a moment to remember,” says Ahmad.
There are several knocks of Kohli he keeps close to his heart. Like the 183 he racked up against Pakistan in Asia Cup in 2012, followed by his
86- ball 133 in a run-chase of 321-run chase in 36.4 overs against Sri Lanka. So had been Test hundreds in Australia and England. “I bragged about him to my friends after he disdained the Australian bowlers (in the 2014 series). The 141 at Adelaide remains my favourite, along with 149 at Edgbaston against England (2018),” he says.
Pakistan talisman Babar Azam has often been compared with Kohli. But Hussain, without any hesitation says: “Nobody can match Kohli or become Kohli without doing what he has done over the years.”
While meeting his hero is his biggest dream, he has already decided the gift he plans to give him that day. “I want him to gift him the famous Barfi of Noona Halwai from the nearby town of Lala Mussa. As a Punjabi, he will like it,” says Hussain, who cannot wait till his hero’s 100th Test begins.
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
5 min read
