Picture Credit: Twitter
If cricket is a religion in India, cricketers are no less than Gods. And it goes without saying then that even a picture or an autograph from a cricketing star can mean the world to a fan in this part of the world. A video evidence of the same has been doing the rounds on the internet where a fan who was holding a placard that read "It is my birthday today" told India Test captain Virat Kohli that it was his special day, also wishing Kohli the very best for the match.
Kohli also did not disappoint his fan and wished him a happy birthday before walking past him. The incident happened when the team was leaving the hotel for the Test match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
After Kohli's gesture, it was a no-brainer that the fan was very happy and on top of the world, even sharing the video on social media platforms.
"Here's KING VIRAT KOHLI wishing me happy birthday ❤️❤️? Your favourite cricketer wishes you on your big day, India wins the match & you feature on TV... Can't get bigger than this... I love you Virat. Best human ever.. #INDvsNZ #ViratKohli," the fan named Vinesh Prabhu posted on Twitter along with the video.
Here is the video:
Meanwhile, Kohli's comeback after a short break coincided with an India win as the hosts defeated New Zealand by 372 runs in the second Test match in Mumbai.
"To come back with a win is a great feeling, returning as the captain it was a clinical performance, something we've seen time and again. You want individuals to step up and guys did that. Even the first Test match was good, this was better," Kohli said at the post-match presentation post the win which helped the Men in Blue take the series 1-0.
"We discussed areas we could improve on, it was also a case of the opposition playing out a good draw and pitch not assisting the bowlers on day five like you expect it to. Here the pitch had a bit more, were able to create more pressure, also because there was more pace and bounce. All in all, the pitch at Wankhede provided the opportunity to play good cricket all around," he added.
"We all are serving Indian cricket, the previous management did a terrific job, now with Rahul bhai coming in, the mindset is the same. To take Indian cricket forward. It's a good challenge in South Africa, that was the start of our perseverance to build abroad, Australia was an accumulation of those efforts. We have the belief we can win anywhere. It's a tough challenge, something we want to achieve, everyone's motivated," he concluded.
Team India will now travel to South Africa where the matches could be played inside closed doors due to concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.