Star India player Virat Kohli enjoys global popularity as one of the most renowned cricketers, with fans from all around the world. He holds the distinction of being the most followed cricketer on social media, boasting a staggering 257 million followers on Instagram alone.
On Sunday, September 3rd, sand artists from Pakistan’s Balochistan paid homage to Kohli by crafting his image. This tribute occurred just one day after the intense India-Pakistan clash in the ongoing 2023 Asia Cup.
View the stunning sand sculpture featuring Virat Kohli:
A beautiful sand work done by Virat Kohli fans from Balochistan. pic.twitter.com/CfZ0wCowYo
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 3, 2023
In the professional aspect of the game, Kohli couldn’t perform effectively for the Indian team in the intense match. The right-handed batsman was dismissed for only four runs from seven balls. The 34-year-old ended up chopping the ball onto his stumps while facing the left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi, who took four wickets in the match. India had set a target of 267 runs for Pakistan, but the game was eventually cancelled due to rain.
Despite Kohli’s previous success with over 500 runs in 13 ODIs against Pakistan, including two centuries, his recent performance was a letdown. This included his highest score of an unbeaten 183*.
Virat Kohli is nearing the milestone of reaching 13,000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs)
Virat Kohli is on the cusp of achieving the milestone of 13,000 runs in ODIs. The player from Delhi needs just 98 more runs to become the fastest to achieve this landmark, having currently accumulated 12,902 runs in 166 innings. The current record holder for the fastest 13,000 runs is Sachin Tendulkar. However, Kohli still trails behind Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430), Ricky Ponting (13,704), Kumar Sangakkara (14,234), and Tendulkar (18,426) in the list of players with the most runs in ODIs.
Kohli’s next match will be against Nepal in the upcoming Asia Cup fixture at Pallekele, Sri Lanka, scheduled for Monday, September 4. He aims to make a substantial contribution against the associate ICC member as Team India strives to secure a spot in the Super 4 stage with the goal of winning their eighth Asia Cup title.
A century in this game would bring Kohli, who has 46 tons, closer to Sachin Tendulkar’s record of the most centuries in the 50-over format, which stands at 49.
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