"I haven't fully grasped the depth of it" - Mohammad Rizwan surprised by his popularity and recognition 

Pakistan keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has said that it's scarcely believable to see the respect and recognition he has garnered. The star T20 player, who had a stellar 2021 with the bat, said he treated the India-Pakistan clash at the World Cup last year as a normal game.

The 29-year old emerged as one of the brightest talents in the game last year, playing a key role in Pakistan's domination in T20 cricket. Rizwan smashed a breathtaking 55-ball 79 to fashion Pakistan's first win over India in World Cups. Notably, they beat their arch-rivals by ten wickets.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo's CricketMonthly, Rizwan said he has found it difficult to digest that people look up to him or are eager to meet him and take pictures. The right-handed batter revealed an instance when an old man hugged him at the airport.

"I know that this is the adulation of the public, but I haven't fully grasped the depth of it. I can't get my head around the fact that people know me to a degree where, if I walk into a mohalla, a kid will say, "Look, there's Rizwan."

"We were at an airport coming back from Bangladesh (in November 2021). I was sitting with Shaheen Shah Afridi. He said, there's one elderly gent there; he's been waiting for you for ages. I asked why. He said, "He wanted to take a picture with you." He was quite elderly, so I went to him, and we took the pictures, and after it he gave me this really tight hug. The hairs on my arm stood up."

The Peshawar-born player believes his magnificent performance in 2021 have helped turn 'mocking' public into his fans, saying:

"Until then, it hadn't hit me. Until now, people had been making fun of me. I wasn't that aware of it, but I knew it was there, people calling me "Bradman" or "Sir Rizwan" mockingly. But that moment really changed it for me."

Rizwan earned two significant awards for his performances in 2021 - Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year from the PCB and the ICC's Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year. He said he didn't expect the accolades, saying in this regard:

"The PCB award was big, and I thought that I'd like to win it, but didn't think it would happen so quickly. The ICC awards I hadn't even thought about being nominated for them, let alone winning. I was really surprised by those. It's been in the news; I've been doing interviews, so it's hit home a bit."

Rizwan was comfortably the highest run-getter in T20 cricket last year, hammering 1326 runs in 13 games at an average of 73.66. He hit 12 fifties and one ton, striking at 134.89.

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"It's just another match, I'm not feeling different" - Mohammad Rizwan recalls Pakistan's World Cup game with India

India vs Pakistan - ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021

Mohamed Rizwan talked about the buzz and hype surrounding the India-Pakistan clash in the 2021 T20 World Cup; however, he treated the game like any other. The 29-year old felt the win mattered more than his individual performance, saying:

"When we were playing the T20 World Cup, a lot of people before the India game were like, "Yaar, tomorrow is the India game, the biggest game", and so on. I was saying to them, "It's just another match; I'm not feeling different. This is a normal game." But I swear what I felt after that game, I can't ever describe that reception."

He added:

"I remember in an interview before the game, somebody said, "You're a star, but if you perform tomorrow, there's a spot free to become a superstar." I was just like, "Please, just hope that Pakistan wins."

The Pakistan star batter made 281 runs in the tournament, ending as the third-highest run-getter. However, Babar Azam and co. endured a gut-wrenching loss in the semi-final against Australia as their promising campaign ground to a halt.