Indian football team's captain, Sunil Chhetri grabbed the spotlight as they beat Pakistan by a comprehensive 4-0 margin in the SAFF Cup 2023 fixture on Wednesday. Chhetri scored a hat-trick of goals, due to which he earned comparisons with Indian cricketing star Virat Kohli, who is always known for bringing his A-game against Pakistan.
Kohli showed his class against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 match last year at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The right-handed batter slammed an unbeaten 82 as India won by five wickets from a precarious 31-4 in pursuit of 160. The 34-year-old won plaudits from fans worldwide for steering India over the line against the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah. In 10 T20s against Pakistan, Kohli averages an astonishing 81.33 with 488 runs.
Coming back to the India-Pakistan football match, Chhetri netted his first two goals in the 10th and 16th minute and completed his hat-trick in the 72nd. Udanta Singh Kumam scored the final goal in the 81st minute to complete an emphatic performance from the Blue Tigers.
Nevertheless, things got heated in the 45th minute of the game as India coach Igor Stimac prevented a Pakistani player from taking a throw-in at the touchline, leading to a skirmish between the players. The fight forced the referee to hand Stimac a red card, while his Pakistani counterpart was given a yellow card. With 90 goals, the Indian skipper has now the fourth highest number of international goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo (123), Ali Daei (109) and Lionel Messi (103).
Meanwhile, here's how the fans drew comparisons between Virat Kohli and Sunil Chhetri regarding their performance against Pakistan:
