5 times Virat Kohli gifted his jersey to an opposition player ft. Babar Azam
Virat Kohli is the most-followed cricketer on Instagram. The star Indian batter has a massive fan following across the world, and it is the dream of many cricketers to either play with him or against him on the field.
Because of the IPL, several young Indian cricketers have received an opportunity to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli. He is also one of the most active cricketers in the world, which is why he regularly competes against different opponents on the field.
Whenever a player impresses Kohli or requests him for an autographed jersey, the King of Modern Era of Cricket obliges. Here's a list of five instances where Kohli gifted an autographed jersey to an opponent.
#1 Virat Kohli gifted an autographed jersey to Babar Azam in Ahmedabad
Pakistan visited India for the first time since 2016 for the 2023 World Cup. The Men in Green competed against their arch-rivals at the Narendra Modi Stadium on October 14, where India recorded a comprehensive win.
After the match ended, Virat Kohli was spotted giving a signed jersey to Pakistan captain Babar Azam. Kohli and Azam are good friends off the field and the Pakistan skipper even posted a tweet for Kohli when the latter was struggling with his poor form.
#2 Virat Kohli gifted a jersey to Roelof van der Merwe
Not many fans would know that Kohli was teammates with Roelof van der Merwe back in 2009. They played together for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the IPL.
14 years later, Kohli and van der Merwe competed against each other in Bengaluru at the grand stage of the 2023 World Cup. After the match between India and Netherlands ended, Kohli had a chat with van der Merwe, where he also gifted him an autographed jersey.
#3 Kohli gifts a jersey to Mehidy Hasan Miraz
India toured Bangladesh for a two-match Test series and a three-match ODI series last December. All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was one of the most impressive players for Bangladesh during that tour.
After the Test series ended, Kohli gifted a signed jersey to Miraz. The all-rounder proudly flaunted his gift on social media.
#4 Virat Kohli gifts an autographed jersey to Haris Rauf
Just a few weeks before hitting the 'Shot of the Century' against Haris Rauf, Kohli gifted an autographed jersey to the Pakistani speedster. It was in Dubai after the Asia Cup 2022 group stage match between India and Pakistan.
After India won the match, Kohli gifted a signed jersey to Rauf. BCCI shared the video on their official Twitter profile. You can watch it above.
#5 Kohli sends an autographed jersey to Dhananjaya de Silva
Dhananjaya de Silva is one of the top all-rounders to emerge from Sri Lanka in recent years. He received a gift from Kohli while the Indian star was busy playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022.
Kohli sent one of his Test jerseys to de Silva with his best wishes and an autograph. The Sri Lankan all-rounder shared the picture on his official social media account.