Former Indian skipper, Virat Kohli celebrated his 34th birthday with other members of the Indian contingent on Saturday at the team hotel in Melbourne. The batting maverick cut the cake alongside, Paddy Upton, the Indian team’s mental conditioning coach, who also turned 54 on the same day. The Men in Blue will be locking horns with Zimbabwe on Sunday at Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is a must-win encounter for them.
A win on Sunday will ensure India a place in the semifinals otherwise the NRR might hurt their chance to get through if both Pakistan and South Africa win their respective matches. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday posted a video on their social media account in which Kohli and Upton are seen cutting cakes together as the other team members were also present to celebrate the special day.
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“Birthday celebrations ON in Australia. Happy birthday @imVkohli & @PaddyUpton1 #TeamIndia | #T20WorldCup,” the BCCI captioned it.
Birthday celebrations ON in Australia 🎂 🎉
Happy birthday @imVkohli & @PaddyUpton1 👏 👏 #TeamIndia | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/sPB2vHVHw4
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 5, 2022
Meanwhile, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was also informed during the press conference that the team celebrated Kohli’s birthday before going out for the practice session. Wishes poured in from all corners of the world for Kohli as the fans, his teammates, former team members, and even the opposition cricketers shared messages for him on the special occasion.
Former South Africa skipper, AB de Villiers recorded a special video message for his good friend Kohli.
Dear @imVkohli,
Here is a very special wish from a very special friend. 🥳🥹#PlayBold #HappyBirthdayViratKohli @abdevilliers17 pic.twitter.com/UT7wEdnde2
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) November 5, 2022
In a video shared by RCB, AB de Villiers was heard saying, “I hope you’re doing well. I’m currently in Bangalore. Um, it’s quite ironic cause I’m sending you a message just to wish you a happy birthday on the 5th of November. I hope you have a fantastic day. You are one hell of a cricket player, but you are a much better human being.”
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He further added, “Thank you very much for your friendship. Thanks for being a great teammate and just a great man. Happy birthday. All the best for the World Cup to you and the whole India team. I really hope you go all the way and have fun. Maybe find South Africa the final it will be very entertaining. Happy birthday, have a great day, and I’m thinking of you.”
