"We can't imagine sledging them" - When a Bangladesh bowler expressed profound admiration for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

Team India's superstar batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have plenty of fans not just in the country, but in various parts of the globe. They are admired for their exceptional batting skills as well their persona on and off the cricket field. Not just the public, but cricketers from other nations have also admitted to being their fans.

During the 2019 World Cup warm-up matches, Bangladesh pacer Mohammad Saifuddin had the opportunity of bowling at both Kohli and Rohit. In an interview with BDcrictime in August 2020, Saifuddin revisited his memories of bowling to the white-ball legends from India and described why it was a special moment for him.

“During our practice match at Cardiff, Rohit Sharma was at the striker’s end with Virat Kohli as the non-striker. I told Rohit, ‘It’s been 10 to 12 years since I’ve been watching you guys on TV, both of you are our dream cricketers. Now I’m bowling to you and I don’t know what to do,'" the Bangladesh right-arm pacer recalled.

During the practice match, Saifuddin wanted to dismiss either of the two senior Indian batters. His wish was fulfilled as he sent back Kohli with a sharp delivery that came back and sent the stumps cartwheeling. The Bangladesh pacer recalled:

“Rohit laughed at me and said ‘Good luck’. Then I was trying to best to make sure that I get at least one of them out. Luckily, I was able to dismiss [Virat] Kohli.

"We don’t want to sledge them. We have grown up, seeing them play and we can’t imagine sledging them. Cricket is a gentleman’s game and should remain that way. Also, because there’s demerit points, we have to be careful,” the Bangladesh bowler concluded.

Saifuddin (28) has represented Bangladesh in 29 ODIs and 38 T20Is. He has claimed 41 wickets in one-dayers at an average of 31.19 and 42 scalps in T20Is at an average of 27.57.

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How Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli performed in the 2019 ODI World Cup

Rohit had a sensational 2019 World Cup. He finished as the tournament's leading run-getter, with 648 runs from nine innings at an average of 81 and a strike rate of 98.33. The opening batter struck five hundreds and one fifty in the ICC event. He was, however, dismissed cheaply in the semifinal, which India lost to New Zealand.

Kohli, who captained the Men in Blue in the 2019 World Cup, contributed 443 runs in nine innings at an average of 55.37 and a strike rate of 94.05. He scored five half-centuries, with a best of 82, but also fell for a single-digit score in the semifinal against New Zealand, which India lost by 18 runs in Manchester.