India U-19 star Arshin Kulkarni had a dream come true moment in South Africa on Tuesday when he met his childhood idol Jacques Kallis ahead of the upcoming U19 World Cup 2024 in the rainbow nation.
18-year-old all-rounder is also a right-handed batter and medium pacer bowler just like the legendary Proteas all-rounder.
Kallis is considered as one of the greatest cricketers in the sport's history who played over 500 internationals for South Africa from 1995 to 2014.
Kulkarni met Kallis at the Indian team hotel in Pretoria where they had a brief chat before the young cricketer got his jersey autographed and clicked a picture with him.
Kulkarni even touched Kallis's feet to seek his blessings, the video of which is going viral on social media. He later described the moment as the "best day" of his life.
"For the past 12 years you have been the person i looked upon as a perfect cricketer and as a role model, Today was the day when i finally met you every time my parents asked me about my favourite destination,
"I would say south africa in a hope that i would finally get to meet him i have always been your admirer and you have always been my inspiration ALWAYS AND FOREVER SIR," Kulkarni wrote in a heartfelt post on Instagram.
India will play their second warm-up match in Pretoria against Sri Lanka on January 17 before starting their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein on January 20.
