Chinnaswamy to be all white for Virat Kohli: Campaign on social media, street vendors selling Test jerseys for RCB v KKR
RCB fans intend to honour Virat Kohli's recent Test retirement by providing the closest thing to a farewell, wearing all-white.
Virat Kohli announced his shock retirement from Test cricket last week, taking the world of sport by surprise as he took a step back from the most prestigious event with nothing more than a post on Instagram. Kohli has often stated that Test cricket is by far his favourite format, and it was a disappointing thing for fans to accept that Kohli walked away from the format without a real goodbye.
However, fans fo Kohli’s beloved IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru are taking matters into their own hands. Inspired by a social media campaign in which fans of the franchise wished to show their tribute to Kohli’s Test career, vast portions of the fanbase have decided to wear all-white tops instead of the typical red, in RCB’s next home game.
That match happens to be the one that will restart the IPL season after a nine-day suspension, with RCB preparing to host KKR at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The movement to wear all-white has grown, with people sharing comments and posts on various social media websites. With Kohli not receiving a farewell Test despite representing India 123 times in the format, this will serve as a stand-in for fans to be able to honour his services to the red ball team with such distinction over the last 13 years.
RCB camp aware of all-white jerseys movement
Additionally, photos were shared on social media of street vendors outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium stocking up on white Kohli jerseys, rather than the typical stock of red RCB ones, showing the extent to which the fans would be willing to go to make this a memorable occasion.
News even made its way to the RCB camp for these plans, but director of cricket Mo Babat was stoic in his response about getting the job done. "It's not something we've thought about or talked about too much. I've certainly noticed that the fans have been talking about that a little bit, but I don't think it'll have much of an impact on our play,” explained Babat to ESPNcricinfo, playing down rumours that this much white in the stands could impact ball visibility.
RCB’s game against KKR will reignite the IPL season, a win for the hosts enough to see them through to the playoffs. A first look at Virat Kohli in action since his retirement from the Test format.
