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Celebrating his 35th birthday in match No.37 of the ICC World Cup 2023, former Indian skipper Virat Kohli had an eventful outing against South Africa at the famous Eden Gardens. The batting icon had a light-hearted chat with South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and the birthday boy also convinced the umpire to change his decision in favour of Shreyas Iyer. After Indian skipper Rohit Sharma propelled the World Cup hosts to 62-1 in the first powerplay, the former India skipper slammed his 71st One Day International (ODI) half-century in front of a packed crowd in the City of Joy – Kolkata.
Before reaching his gritty half-century, Kohli had an animated conversation with South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock, who made a loud appeal for a caught behind during one of Keshav Maharaj’s overs. Fresh from bamboozling Shubman Gill with a peach of a delivery, Maharaj bowled a ripper to beat Kohli in the 20th over. Though De Kock made a strong appeal for a caught behind, umpire Kumar Dharmasena seemed uninterested in the request before signalling not out.
Eyeing the scalp of the big fish, South Africa took a review but a flat line on UltraEdge extended Kohli’s stay at the crease. Even Kohli had a smile on his face when South Africa opted to take the review. After the unsuccessful review, Proteas wicketkeeper De Kock was roped in by Kohli for a friendly chat. Kohli and De Kock’s on-field conversation also garnered the attention of fans during the mouthwatering clash between India and South Africa at the ODI World Cup in Kolkata.
Kohli makes De Kock doubt himself!
Kohli forces umpire to alter decision
During the 21st over, Kohli once again made his present felt as his on-field interaction with umpire Paul Reiffel earned Iyer a boundary off his bat. The premier batter shuffled across and paddled the bowl for a four. Umpire Reiffel, at first gave it four byes but after a brief interaction with Kohli, the umpire changed his decision. Initial replays also suggested that Iyer might have got a bit of bat.
Birthday boy Kohli joins special club
By bringing up his crucial half-century on his birthday, Kohli has joined the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and Yusuf Pathan on a special list. Kohli, Tendulkar, Kambli, Ishan Kishan, Pathan and Navjot Singh Sidhu have all scored ODI half-centuries for India on their respective birthdays.
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