Former India cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday (November 9) addressed the inaugural ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor in Pakistan.

The 4.5 km-long Kartarpur Corridor connects the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab's Gurdaspur with the Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan's Punjab province. Located about four kilometres from the International Border, the Darbar Sahib is believed to be where Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, spent the last 18 years of his life.

Speaking at the other side of the border, Sidhu said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has won the hearts of the Sikh community by opening the Kartarpur Corridor. He thanked Imran saying, “Sikandar (Alexander) conquered the world through fear and you did the same by winning hearts.”

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Ahead of his speech, Sidhu was welcomed to the podium by member of the senate of Pakistan, Faisal Javed Khan, who cracked a joke on former India batsman, saying his love for Pakistan was evident from the fact that he never hit a Test hundred against the arch-rivals.

"The proof of Navjot Singh Sidhu's love for Pakistan, and especially Imran Khan, is that he has scored 9 centuries in his career (Test) but hasn't hit a single one against Pakistan. This is his love for Pakistan," Faisal Javed Khan said.

Having made his international debut in 1983, Sidhu represented India in 51 Tests and 136 ODIs. The Punjab born batsman smashed 9 Test centuries in total but his highest score against Pakistan was 97.

While Sidhu fell 3 runs short of making a hundred against Pakistan, his maiden ODI ton, interestingly, came against the neighbours in Sharjah in 1989.

(Inputs from India Today)