The Day 2 of the ongoing first Test between India and Sri Lanka witnessed a heartwarming moment when Indian captain Rohit Sharma gathered his teammates to give former skipper Virat Kohli, a guard of honour.
Notably, the Mohali Test happens to be Kohli’s 100th match in the longest format and on the second day when Team India entered the field, Kohli’s teammates formed a parallel line along the boundary rope to laud the global superstar.
The Delhi-born acknowledged the appreciation from his teammates and raised his hands to thank the crowd as well. Upon receiving the lovely gesture, Kohli looked extremely happy as he walked up to Rohit to shake his hands before the players formed the huddle.
Here is the video:
The smile on @imVkohli's face says it all.#TeamIndia give him a Guard of Honour on his landmark Test.#VK100 @Paytm #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/Nwn8ReLNUV
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 5, 2022
Kohli is the 12th Indian cricketer and the 71st overall to play 100 Tests for his nation. Ahead of the match, current head coach Rahul Dravid had lavished praise on Kohli for accomplishing the milestone.
“It is not easy to play 100 Test matches. Test cricket is not easy. To be able to play one is great, to be able to play 100 is a fantastic achievement. It is an achievement Virat Kohli can be proud of. He has always delivered, averages over 50 in 100 Test matches. It is a great achievement for one of India’s greatest players,” Dravid had said in a video shared by BCCI.
Coming back to the game, Kohli got out for 45 in India’s first innings, where the hosts eventually managed to post 574/8 before declaring the innings.
The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari all played their parts to make sure India dominated the Lankan bowling attack. Jadeja stayed unbeaten at 175 while Pant scored a brilliant 96 runs. Similarly, Ashwin and Vihari scored 61 and 58, respectively.
The momentum was very well carried forward by the Indian bowling unit as Sri Lanka managed to post 108/4 at stumps on Day 2. Ashwin bagged two wickets for 21 in 13 overs, while Jasprit Bumrah (1/20) and Jadeja (1/30) picked up one wicket apiece.
