A Virat Kohli six can uplift your day. When in full flow, his cover drives will make even the staunchest rivals applaud the sheer beauty of execution. His career so far has been a never-ending celebration of the game itself. And for ordinary cricket fans, his every step becomes a good enough reason to justify their existence. On Sunday, as the former India captain turned 35, the International Cricket Council (ICC), also joined the chorus. (IND Vs RSA Match Blog | Streaming | Scorecard | Key Battles | Full Coverage)
"Celebrate Virat Kohli's birthday with a look back at his top 10 moments in ICC tournaments," wrote ICC as the sport's global body shared a montage of exclusive Kohli footage. It featured some of the most iconic moments in ICC events, including sixes, celebrations and even that 'Spirit Of Cricket Moment'.
The pick of the lot was a six off Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2022, a shot which ICC hailed as the 'Shot of the Century'.
Kohli, born on November 5, 1988, is already one of the greats of the game. In a celebrated cricket career, the former India captain has amassed 26209 international runs (8676 in 111 Tests, 13525 in 288 ODIs and 4008 in 115 T20Is) with 78 centuries. His 48 tons in ODIs is only behind Sachin Tendulkar's all-time 49.
And at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens on Sunday, Virat Kohli already was warming up to his keenly awaited 49th ODI ton as India got off to a flier against South Africa thanks to captain Rohit Sharma's 24-ball 40.
Rohit won the toss and elected to bat first in the 37th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup -- a clash between two in-form teams. India entered the match as the only unbeaten team, while the Proteas are second in the ten-team points table with six wins in seven. Both teams have already qualified for the semi-finals. India are looking for a third ODI World Cup title. In the 2011 edition, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led India lifted the trophy at home with the likes of Kohli and Rohit still cutting their teeth in international cricket.
