Watch: Virat Kohli greets Pakistan players after practice, jokes with Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi ahead of Asia Cup clash

Watch: Virat Kohli was spotted greeting Pakistan players and sharing a hearty laugh with Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi after a practice session in Pallekele, ahead of the high-voltage India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 clash.

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Kohli, who scored a magnificent 82* against Pakistan the last time these two teams met each other in international cricket, at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. The two teams will face off, this time in the ODI format, in the third game of the 2023 Asia Cup.

After the practice session, Kohli was seen walking towards the Pakistan camp, where he greeted Shadab Khan and Mohammad Rizwan. Haris Rauf sat on the stadium seats, not too far away.

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Kohli and Shadab were all smiles as they indulged in a long, seemingly light-hearted conversation, laughing and joking around. Soon after, Mohammed Shami passed by and was greeted by Shadab, after which his conversation with Kohli continued.

Later, Shaheen Afridi joined in: by then, Kohli had taken Shadab’s bat in his hand, and was doing some shadow practice, still conversing with the Pakistan spinner. Shaheen then took over Shadab’s bat and did a bit of willow swinging himself.

The conversation continued for a while, suggesting that there was plenty to catch up between players of the two cricketing powerhouses. The two teams will play in Pallekele, with another clash scheduled between the two at the World Cup next month – in Ahmedabad. The Asia Cup game, however, is under a rain cloud, with a thunderstorms forecast on Saturday.

Pakistan named their XI for the game a day in advance, retaining the same team that won against Nepal in the tournament opener.