"Will Wait To..." Brian Lara's Instagram Story For Virat Kohli Before 73rd International Ton Is Viral
Not only the fans, but also the West Indies great Brian Lara was waiting to see Virat Kohli bat in India's first ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
- NDTV Sports Desk
- Updated: January 11, 2023 09:15 am IST
It was Virat Kohli's day on Tuesday as the iconic batter scored his 73rd international century in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. While the batting maestro was at his very best in terms of confidence and stroke play against the guests Sri Lanka, Kohli also got two reprieves -- one on 52 and the other on 81. The former India skipper raced to his century in 80 balls before he was dismissed for 113 off 87.
Before Kohli came to the crease, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill stitched 143 runs for the opening wicket after Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bowl first. This made the fans wait for a long time to see Kohli bat. However, they were not only the fans, who were eagerly waiting for the India star, in fact, West Indies great Brian Lara was also waiting for Kohli to come to the crease.
"I think I will wait to watch this man bat!!" said Lara in his Instagram Story sharing a picture of Kohli waiting in the dugout before his batting.
Lara shared another Instagram story when Kohli completed his 45th ODI century. Fair to say that the West Indies legend was elated.
Check out the viral posts here:
India rode on Kohli's hundred to beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs in the first ODI and take 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Kohli's knock set up India's big total of 373 for 7. Skipper Rohit Sharma slammed 83 off 67 balls while Shubman Gill made a 60-ball 70. Umran Malik (3/57) and Mohammed Siraj (2/30) shared five wickets between them as India restricted Sri Lanka to 306 for 8 in 50 overs. Captain Dasun Shanaka (108 not out) top-scored for Sri Lanka while Pathum Nissanka contributed 72.
(With PTI Inputs)