It seems like Virat Kohli has opened a new chapter in his cricket career, one that is not always about bat and ball and is not entirely driven by aggression but instead a few laughs with the opposition, a casual shake of the leg while fielding and an abundance of feel-good factor. Virat Kohli is yet to get into Asia Cup with the bat - he was out for 4 against Pakistan and didn't get to bat against Nepal - but that doesn't mean he has been away from the limelight. The cameras can never have enough of Kohli.
The former India captain, who shared light moments with Pakistan crickets with Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan and others before and after India's Asia Cup opener against Pakistan in Pallekele, was seen in a similar mood in their next Group A match against Nepal.
Kohli and India did not get off to an ideal start on Monday. As many as three simple catches - one of them by Kohli himself - inside the first five overs as Nepal got off to a flying start after India opted to bowl. Thanks to some crucial strikes by Ravindra Jadeja (3/40) in the middle overs and Mohammed Siraj's (3/61) might at the end, India were able to pull things back and bowl Nepal out for 230 in 48.2 overs.
Nepal's spirited batting display and India's lacklustre show on the field, however, did not dampen Kohli's spirits. 14 overs into Nepal's innings, the legendary cricketer was seen dancing to Nepali songs, much to the delight of the small crowd, dominated by noisy Nepal fans, at Pallekele.
{{/usCountry}}Nepal's spirited batting display and India's lacklustre show on the field, however, did not dampen Kohli's spirits. 14 overs into Nepal's innings, the legendary cricketer was seen dancing to Nepali songs, much to the delight of the small crowd, dominated by noisy Nepal fans, at Pallekele.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli's whole-hearted behaviour did not end there. India got a revised target of 145 in 23 overs thanks to a long delay to due heavy rains. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill came out all guns blazing to ensure a 10-wicket victory for India and smooth sailing into the Super-4 stage of the tournament. After the match, Kohli was seen spending time with the Nepal cricketers inside the dressing room.
In a lovely gesture, Kohli, in fact, signed the shoes of Nepal all-rounder Sompal Kami. The right-handed batter and right-arm seam-bowler shared the photographs of the incident on Tuesday. "Virat Kohli is not just a cricketer, he's an emotion," wrote Sompal, who scored a crucial 48 off 56 balls.
India will head into he Super-4 stage of Asia Cup without playing a full 50-over game. Their tournament opener against Pakistan was washed out after they put on 266 on the board. But the good thing for India was that their batters and bowlers were put under pressure and had a fair bit of workout. In the match against Pakistan, Rohit, Kohli, Gill and Shreyas Iyer fell early. It was Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya with the rescue act. In the match against Nepal, their bowlers came back really well despite an attacking start by Nepal.
Come the next stage, they would be hoping for a much-improved show from the likes of Kohli and Iyer. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the Napal match due to the birth of his first child, is also expected to join the squad back in time.