While Virat Kohli might come across someone who is aggressive on the field, he is one of the most humblest cricketers off the pitch. He is often seen taking time out to talk to opposition players and posting for pictures with fans. On Sunday, Kohli was seen gifting an autographed jersey to Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf after their Asia Cup 2022 clash in Dubai.
It was a landmark game for Virat Kohli as he became the first Indian player to represent the nation in 100 matches across all formats. Although he looked a bit jittery with the bat, Kohli finished as the joint top-scorer with 35 runs, which included three boundaries and a six.
India were in a spot of bother after losing Rohit Sharma and Kohli in quick succession, but Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya stitched together a 52-run stand to take the game deep. Jadeja departed with seven runs required off five deliveries before Hardik smacked a maximum over the long-on fielder to take the team home.
After the game, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gave fans a glimpse of Kohli’s activities after the match by sharing a video on their official Twitter handle. They captioned the post:
“The match may be over but moments like these shine bright A heartwarming gesture by Kohli as he hands over a signed jersey to Pakistan’s Haris Rauf post the #INDvPAK game #TeamIndia | #AsiaCup2022”
The match may be over but moments like these shine bright ✨👌
A heartwarming gesture by @imVkohli as he hands over a signed jersey to Pakistan's Haris Rauf post the #INDvPAK game 👏👏#TeamIndia | #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/3qqejMKHjG
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 29, 2022
“Virat Kohli came and at the start it seemed his bat is made of edges”- Aakash Chopra
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra analyzed Kohli’s turbulent stay at the crease during the initial stages of the chase against Pakistan on Sunday. He pointed out that the iconic batter repeatedly mistimed and edged the ball but survived with a slice of luck on his side.
“Virat Kohli came and at the start it seemed his bat is made of edges – inside edge, outside edge, a catch was dropped, there is so much happening. He needed that luck in the first 10-12 runs,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“The next 20-odd runs Kohli scored, it seemed once again that he is back. It felt like he was allowing the ball to come to him. It felt like that OG Virat Kohli, where he was playing with great control. Suddenly you felt he is back,” he added.