"To Play Against Virat Kohli": Pakistan-born USA Star On 'Ultimate Goal'

Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli remains the benchmark for many budding cricketers all across the globe. One such player is former Pakistan Under-19 batter Shayan Jahangir who is now a player for the United States of America senior cricket team. Up against Nepal in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 qualifier, Jahangir scored his maiden century in the Group A match, drawing plaudits from the cricketing spectrum. After his ton, Jahangir spoke of his ambitions of playing against none other than the great Kohli and show that there's 'another batter on the block'.

Jahangir, the right-handed batter, scored an unbeaten 100-run knock off 79 balls with 10 fours and three sixes, although his knock couldn't help the American secure a victory as Nepal wrapped up a 6-wicket victory.

"To play against Virat Kohli, that's my ultimate goal. Play against him, and show there's another batter on the block, waiting for the opportunities in all these big leagues," Jahangir told ICC after the game.

For the record, Jahangir was a part of the Pakistan U19 team alongside the likes of Sami Islam, Imam-Ul-Haq, Hussain Talat and others in the past. Not just that, he also had a stint for the Pakistan International Airlines in domestic cricket before moving to the United States.

The 28-year-old also has the experience of playing for the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

In his ODI career so far, Jahangir has played a total of 9 ODIs, scoring 235 runs at an average of 33.57 and a strike-rate of 90.73. The century against Nepal was the first ever in his One-day career when it comes to international cricket.