The moment, which was light-hearted in nature and shared between star cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma over a creative fan poster, occurred during the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka on August 2, 2024. This amusing incident quickly went viral on social media as the Indian team took the field.
The moment the Indian players gathered near the boundary ropes, Kohli’s attention was diverted toward the stands to a fan holding an imaginative poster. He immediately brought it to Sharma’s notice. The poster was a remake of the classic Bollywood film ‘Lagaan,’ but it had the current Indian cricket team as characters in it.
Captioned “Modern Day Lagaan Warriors,” the poster had the face of the movie’s lead actor, Aamir Khan, replaced humorously with that of Indian skipper Sharma. Both players did not also miss other teammates, cleverly placed in the artwork, and suddenly everyone burst into laughter.
WATCH – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Share a Laugh Over Creative Fan Poster
The re-imagined poster had gone viral last year itself when India beat England in the ODI World Cup. Kohli and Sharma were the top two run-getters in the ICC event that took place in India. Kohli, 37, also led India to their second T20 World Cup title as the team emerged champion in the 2024 T20 World Cup held in West Indies and the US in June.
Bangladesh former national captain and currently AL mp Mashrafe Mortaza’s house being burned down.. pic.twitter.com/hteebrdXcJ
— Shishir 🇧🇩 (@shishir_bin) August 5, 2024
The first ODI in Colombo was memorable for various reasons. The hosts, Sri Lanka, put up a total of 230/8 in their allotted 50 overs. Off-to-good-start performance by the Indian skipper though nobody else followed him; so the match concluded in a tie.
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In the second ODI, Charith Asalanka and his team set a target of 240/9 in their 50 overs. India’s chase did come off to a good start with Sharma’s 64 and Shubman Gill contributing 35 for an opening partnership, but at the end of it all, the Indian team turned up short; bowled out for 208 runs to finish 32 runs short, giving the island nation a victory by that margin and taking a 1-0 series lead.
This light-hearted moment in which Kohli and Sharma were joking over the fan’s poster made for a delight of a view against the backdrop of an intense rivalry, bringing out the lighter side of the game and the special bonding between players and their supporters.
