LONDON: Bayern Munich forward Thomas Mueller has emerged as an unexpected fan of India’s bid for glory at the ICC World Cup.

Mueller revealed India captain Virat Kohli had often supported the German national football team in the past, so he has returned the favour by backing the two-time World Cup winners.

The 29-year-old, himself a world champion with Germany in 2014, took to social media on Monday to declare his support for India, who start their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Southampton on Wednesday.

Alongside a picture of him wearing an Indian cricket shirt and holding a bat in one hand, Mueller tweeted: “I wish all participants of the Cricket #WorldCup2019 good luck & thrilling matches.

“Especially I cross my fingers for @imVkohli, the captain of the Indian team. He’s a fan of @DFB_Team and supported it multiple times in the past #Cricket #GermanyCheersForIndia.”

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2019