Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 5 (ANI): Star India batter Virat Kohli reunited with his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma following Men in Blue’s grand celebratory parade to celebrate team’s ICC T20 World Cup triumph.
Taking to Instagram, Rajkumar said that right from his first cricket practice with him to him establishing himself as one of the sport’s biggest stars, Virat has always made him proud.
“From your first practice to your incredible success, you’ve always made me proud @virat.kohli . Keep going strong beta #viratkohli #proud #indiancricketteam #indiancricket,” said Rajkumar’s Instagram post.
Virat did not have a great T20 World Cup in terms of his batting scores, but he played a vital role in the final against South Africa, anchoring the Indian innings after the early loss of wickets and playing a crucial knock of 76.
After just 75 runs in the first seven innings of the competition, he stepped up when it mattered the most. His 76 runs in the final came off 59 balls at a strike rate of 128.81 and included six fours and two sixes.
The batter ended the T20 World Cup with 151 runs in eight innings at an average of 18.87 and a strike rate of 112.68 with one fifty. He also announced his retirement from international T20s.
In 35 T20 World Cup matches, Virat has scored 1,292 runs at an average of 58.72 and a strike rate of 128.81, with 15 half-centuries. His best score is 89*. He is the highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament.
In 125 T20I matches, Virat scored 4,188 runs at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04. He scored a century and 38 fifties, and a best score of 122*. He ends the format as the second-highest run-getter of all time.
Following their meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, the players departed for Mumbai. In Mumbai, the Men in Blue had an open bus victory parade from Marine Drive to the iconic Wankhede Stadium. The parade was an affair to remember and marvel at, as thousands of fans gathered at Marine Drive and surrounded the bus before it could even get Indian players on it.
The team went to Wankhede amid cheers, chants, and claps from passionate fans. At the Wankhede, they were felicitated with the prize money of Rs 125 crore by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office-bearers. Players also talked about their win, and the performances of key players in the T20 World Cup inside a jam-packed Wankhede and danced their hearts out. The event also featured the players taking a victory lap to the tune of the country’s national song, ‘Vande Mataram’.
Earlier on Thursday morning, the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team touched down in the national capital, Delhi, to a warm welcome from fans eagerly waiting for a glimpse of their favourite heroes and the trophy.
The flight was organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah and departed on July 2 from a hurricane-struck Barbados before arriving in Delhi at around 6:00 AM on Thursday. Board officials and members of the media contingent from the tournament were also on the flight.
India ended a 13-year ICC World Cup trophy drought with a victory in the final, defeating South Africa by seven runs on Saturday. Virat Kohli’s 76 helped India reach 176/7, while Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18) helped India restrict the Proteas to 169/8, despite Heinrich Klaasen’s 52 in just 27 balls. Bumrah, who got 15 scalps throughout the tournament at a stunning economy rate of 4.17, got the ‘Player of the Tournament’ honours. (ANI)
