"I hope he achieves his 49th ODI hundred on his birthday" - Mohammad Rizwan on Virat Kohli
Team India's ace batter Virat Kohli will celebrate his 35th birthday on Sunday, November 5. He will be seen in action on his special day as the Men in Blue face South Africa in a 2023 World Cup contest at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has wished the former India captain in advance. During a chat with India Today – Aaj Tak amid a practice session at the Eden Gardens, Rizwan expressed the desire to see Kohli score his 49th ODI century on his 35th birthday.
"It's great to learn that his birthday falls on November 5th," Rizwan said. "I wish him the best and a happy birthday, even though I don’t celebrate mine and don’t believe in it. Sending good wishes to Virat. I hope he achieves his 49th ODI hundred on his birthday. I also hope he reaches his 50th ODI century in this World Cup."
Virat Kohli has shown impressive form so far in the ongoing 2023 World Cup. Having chalked up 354 runs in six outings, he is the second-highest run-getter for Team India in the tournament after Rohit Sharma.
Notably, he is just one century away from equalling Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI hundreds.
CAB has planned special birthday celebrations for Virat Kohli at Eden Gardens
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is leaving no stone unturned to make Virat Kohli's birthday celebration at the Eden Gardens a memorable affair.
The CAB has planned a special cake-cutting and felicitation ceremony for the star batter. They also plan on distributing 70,000 Virat Kohli masks for spectators.
Shedding light on those plans, here's what CAB president Snehasish Ganguly said during a media interaction:
"We hope to get an approval from the ICC on this. We want to make the day special for Virat. We want every fan in the stadium wearing Kohli masks when he walks in. We plan to distribute about 70,000 masks that day."
India are currently the only unbeaten team in the 2023 World Cup. With six wins to their name, they are the table-toppers of the competition.