Photo credit: KL Rahul/Twitter

Dogs are often called man’s best friend because of the unconditional love they provide their humans. Their support can be especially helpful if one’s personal and professional life is constantly under the scanner and critics are waiting at every single corner to with harsh comments.

No wonder then that a lot of players of the ‘Gentlemen’s game’ swear by their faithful canine companions. Kings XI Punjab’s Lokesh Rahul may be a sher on the field, but even he falls to the puppy-eyed charm of his Chowchow, Simba. This Dog Appreciation Day, we look at the duo’s friendship and the many moments they have shared over the years.

Simba has been a large part of Rahul’s life since he was a little puppy and continues to be one of the pillars in the cricketer’s life. However, being a pet to someone who has to travel the world for his work when duty calls is not an easy job. It can get pretty upsetting when Rahul has to leave and this post by the batsman captures Simba’s emotions perfectly.

When Rahul is home though, Simba enjoys nothing more than chilling, lounging around and maybe even kicking back to watch some cricket with his best friend. Now isn’t that something we all enjoy?

 

My simba has me on a leash @kingsimbathechow .

A post shared by KL Rahul👑 (@rahulkl) on

Tired of waiting for his human to upload his pictures on social media, Simba took to Instagram himself. He now enjoys attention from all over the world, having more than 20 thousand followers and even being featured on Star Sports. His human’s sense of humour seems to have rubbed off on him and some his posts are just hilarious.

Rahul recently went a step further and got himself inked with an image of Simba; a friend who, as he explains, ‘has got his back.’

 

Guess who's got my back folks?? 😎 My #lionking 🦁💪

A post shared by KL Rahul👑 (@rahulkl) on

Rahul and Simba’s friendship has certainly given us some #friendshipgoals. We hope you have a fun time curling up with your furry friends and enjoying Dog Appreciation Day too.