On the day Indian cricketing legend Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket, a video of Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi leading a rally through the streets of Karachi appeared on social media.

One can't help but wonder: What exactly was he celebrating?

Was this newfound fervour a reaction to Pakistan's supposed military strength, or a misguided belief that Virat Kohli's step back from T20Is and Tests has somehow opened the door for Pakistan to finally get one over India?

It’s hard not to notice the irony. Especially when, in every recent encounter between the two sides, India has thrashed Pakistan, and in each instance, Virat Kohli has been the cornerstone of India's dominance.

But on closer inspection it was found to be his celebration of Pakistan army’s valour.

Afridi, a man whose name is as synonymous with bombastic statements as it is with cricketing legend, once again stirred the pot with his comments on the Pakistan Armed Forces.

“Our army has shown who is stronger,” Afridi declared, his words echoing through Karachi's streets, flanked by thousands of flag-bearing supporters. He was unequivocal in his belief that India had "underestimated" Pakistan and its military capabilities.

While he praised his country’s army and leaders, it’s important to remember that such claims of "strength" stand in stark contrast to the carnage that unfolded along the LoC.

India and Pakistan engaged in the most intense fighting in decades with four days of escalating conflict that included fighter jets, missiles and drones packed with explosives.

Afridi’s tirade didn’t stop with the military; it veered into the political, as he blamed India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for damaging India’s international image. The former cricketer took a swipe at Modi’s refusal to allow cricket teams to play in Pakistan, calling out the "hatred" it fostered.

"What kind of mindset is that?" Afridi questioned, before adding, “Innocent children and civilians were martyred.” Yet, this statement, while poignant, stands in stark contrast to the actions of the military he so praised.

Afridi’s words on national pride were divorced from the painful realities of this ongoing conflict.

Pakistan got a taste of what the English batters endured during that infamous Ashes series, according to India’s Director General of Military Operations, Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai.

Speaking at a joint press briefing by DGMOs of the Army, Navy and Air Force on Operation Sindoor, Ghai likened the failure of Pakistan’s recent aerial strikes to the fate of England’s batters in the mid-70s, as he explained India’s multi-layered air defence response.

The day of the rally, dubbed ‘Youm-i-Tashakkur’ or Day of Gratitude by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saw citizens in a celebratory mood, chanting slogans and waving flags, basking in what they considered a ‘victory’ over India.

Coming back to Afridi, his singular claim to fame against Virat Kohli — his dismissal of Kohli in the 2009 Champions Trophy — has, in many ways, become a symbolic victory over the passage of time, not the reality of modern cricket.

Since that moment, Kohli has been an unstoppable force, tormenting Pakistan with his bat, most memorably during the 2012 Asia Cup, where he smashed 183 runs in a one-sided victory.