Whenever I have played in India, I feel as if I'm playing in my own country: Umar Akmal

Pakistan keeper-batter, Umar Akmal, has played a total of eight matches in the Indian subcontinent. Now, even though he doesn't have a lot of runs to his name playing in India, the cricketer has revealed that he received a lot of love and respect from the crowd, whenever Pakistan played in India.

The 32-year-old also mentioned it always felt like his home whenever he played in India. He stated that he loves to play in the neighbouring country as people in India have cheered for the Pakistan team in the past.

“I like playing in India and in Asia. I haven't played a big series in Pakistan till date and only played in two T20Is in that also I got out for 0,” said  Umar Akmal to a Pakistani journalist on the latter's YouTube channel.

“Whenever I have played in India, I feel as if I'm playing in my own country. The crowd in India respects both teams; Indian fans love Pakistani players and cheer for them too,” Akmal added.

Meanwhile, the right-handed batter has featured in 16 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 84 T20Is for the Men in Green. He has scored a total of 5887 runs in the process and played his last game for Pakistan in 2019 against Sri Lanka. Next up, he will be seen as a player cum mentor for the Quetta Gladiators in the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League.

He has played five matches for the franchise in the seventh edition of the tournament, where he amassed 101 runs. Despite a poor performance he has been retained for another edition. Moreover, he has been given more responsibility. The 32-year-old was retained in the silver category and will be seen playing against Multan Sultans on February 15.

Meanwhile, the much-awaited tournament will begin on February 13, where the first match will be played between Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

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