Virat Kohli is a "role model" for being an epitome of grace even in defeat which shows that the India captain is a secure individual, feels former Pakistan women's cricket team skipper Sana Mir.

India lost to Pakistan for the first time in an ICC global event by 10 wickets in the opening Super 12 game of the T20 World Cup on Sunday.

However, one of the most endearing images from the match was of the Indian captain hugging winning team hero Mohammed Rizwan.

"Virat Kohli handled the defeat with so much grace and I admire his sportsman spirit. It's really good to see the top athletes, who are role models, behaving in the way he did," Mir, a former Pakistan captain, wrote in her column for the ICC's official website.

"It shows a lot of security within, and it means they have a lot of confidence to bounce back," she further wrote.

Mir won't be surprised if India come back in the tournament with some big wins.

"I won't be surprised if India bounce back very quickly and in a big fashion and I hope we can see Pakistan and India play each other again in this tournament."

On Pakistan, the legendary woman cricketer said she liked skipper Babar Azam's attitude of looking immediately towards the next assignment instead of enjoying a prolonged celebration.

"With this performance, Pakistan have definitely become one of the favourites for the tournament, but it was heartening to see Babar and Shaheen not get carried away when in front of the media, they were focused on the next games," she said.

"It is a great sign that they are staying level-headed and shows the team is going in the right direction," she further wrote.

(With PTI inputs)