Saim Ayub: “The first thought that I could collect when I hear IPL (Indian Premier League) is RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore). Most importantly, because Virat Kohli is their captain”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Saim Ayub, the Pakistan power-hitting top order batsman, said he hopes to play with India superstar Virat Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ayub is coming off a sensational performance in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he accumulated 341 runs in 12 matches for the Peshawar Zalmi, which included five half-centuries, at an average of 28.41 and a strike-rate of 165.53.
Playing in the IPL will be a hard item to tick off his bucket list as no Pakistan players are allowed to feature in the tournament due to the frosty political relations between India and Pakistan.
That said, he will cling on to the possibility of this changing in the future.
“The first thought that I could collect when I hear IPL (Indian Premier League) is RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore). Most importantly, because Virat Kohli is their captain,” the 21-year-old said on the Nadir Ali podcast as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
“I am not sure if Virat Kohli is my [idol] in terms of his batting, but certainly, I am a huge fan of his cricketing ethics. The career arc that he had from being a youngster till now, when he’s a legend, is commendable, and I really admire that. This attribute counts you as the best athlete in the world.
“He’s already topping the charts due to his magnificent skills, but skills can be adapted and developed by anyone, I believe. However, the pathway to ethics is really a daunting task which needs to be maintained. So, basically, I am a huge fan of his ethics.”
The Pakistan team will be back in action soon as they will tour Sri Lanka for two Test matches in Galle and Colombo from July 16 to 28.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series:Â Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood