VIDEO | Virat Kohli gets special acknowledgement by English fan for his sportsmanship
It's not records and runs alone that make a player great, but what people remember forever is how one has played the game and inspired the next generation. Virat Kohli did the same on Thursday by walking off the pitch before the umpire’s decision and an English fan appreciated his gesture.
After restricting the hosts to just 268 runs in the first innings, the Indian batsmen didn’t need to bat with such intensity and after Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan gave a decent start to the innings, it was just a matter of time before the visitors emerged
While Rohit still went about his natural way of explosive batting, skipper Kohli took the run-a-ball route as he frustrated the English bowlers with his seamless progress throughout the innings. He got to his fifty in no time with unparalleled ease, not at all looking like a man who had buried the ghosts of his past in the same country.
But, just as he looked determined to reach his century, a flighted ball outside off by Adil Rashid beat Kohli, who was playing on 75. The Indian skipper realized that his foot was outside the crease when the bails had been whipped off and decided to walk off even before the on-field umpire could refer it to his TV counterpart. It was a great gesture at a time when many cricketers are resorting to all kinds of lows and the very sportsmanship of the “Gentleman’s Game” is being questioned.
The English crowd gave Kohli a standing ovation for his gesture and as Kohli reached the stairs after the boundary line, an English fan was even seen patting Kohli’s back as he walked upstairs.