E-Paper
Sign in
Virat Kohli gets the cutest welcome in Raipur as kids arrive at team hotel with a heart-melting gesture before 2nd ODI
The second South Africa ODI will be played on Wednesday at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium
After his heroics in the series opener last Sunday in Ranchi, Virat Kohli landed in Raipur on Tuesday for the second game of the three-match series against South Africa. The match will be played on Wednesday at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, where the home team, led by stand-in skipper KL Rahul, will be looking to wrap up the series.
In a video circulating on social media, Kohli sparked a frenzy upon his arrival in Raipur, with young fans erupting in excitement as he reached the team hotel. The kids rushed in and made a heart-melting gesture that brought a smile to Kohli’s face as they handed him red flowers.
ALSO READ: ‘Abhimanyu Easwaran scored T20 hundred, we will get to see him in Tests now’: R Ashwin fires shots at Agarkar, Gambhir
What happened in the 1st South Africa ODI?
India put behind their humiliating Test series whitewash at home against the Proteas to secure a 17-run win in the opening game of the ODI series at the JSCA International Stadium Complex on Sunday.
Kohli stood at the centre of the win with his knock of 135 runs that helped India set up a mighty target of 350 runs. It was his 52nd career ODI century, as he strengthened his hold at the top spot in the all-time list, his third at MS Dhoni's home ground, and first since February. En route, he also stitched a century stand with former India captain Rohit Sharma, who scored a third consecutive fifty in the format. That partnership was also their second straight triple-figure score after they gave a glimpse of their vintage self in October, in the final ODI in Sydney against Australia.
After Kohli's heroics, Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana picked up seven wickets between themselves as South Africa fell 17 runs short in the run chase.
The knock also helped both Kohli and Rohit move closer to cementing their places in India’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. While two more strong performances could virtually seal their spots, much will still depend on whether they agree to the BCCI’s mandate requiring senior players to participate in domestic cricket, with the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier List A tournament, scheduled later this month.
