'May Lord Ganesha protect us in these difficult moments' - Virat Kohli and others extend greetings on Ganesh Chaturthi

India and captain Virat Kohli are celebrating the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi today

The Indian cricket fraternity has extended its warm wishes on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. From current skipper Virat Kohli to former captain Sachin Tendulkar, several cricketers shared the festive joy on social media.

Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is a 10-day festival celebrated mostly in Western India. But the celebrations this year have been dampened by COVID-19 and devotees are performing the idol worship in their homes.

Tendulkar posted a video of himself performing the ‘aarti’ with his wife, daughter, mother and house staff. Kohli, on the other hand, prayed that Lord Ganesh protects everyone in the on-going battle with the pandemic. Aakash Chopra shared a picture of Ganpati playing cricket.

Here are some of the tweets:

May Lord Ganesha protect us in these difficult moments. 🙏 Wishing you a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi. Stay safe and have a great day with your loved ones.✨
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 22, 2020

गणेश चतुर्थीच्या तुम्हा सर्वांना खूप खूप शुभेच्छा.

गणपती बाप्पा मोरया, मंगलमूर्ती मोरया!
Wishing everyone a very happy #GaneshChaturthi. pic.twitter.com/hQDBAogRdG
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 22, 2020

जय देव जय देव
जय देव जय देव
जय मंगल मूर्ति
दर्शन मार्ते मान कामना पूर्ति !
गणपति बप्पा मोर्या ।#HappyGaneshChaturthi pic.twitter.com/vJXHmAFhZK
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) August 22, 2020

This Ganesh Chaturthi, I pray that Lord Ganesha removes all obstacles from our paths and showers everyone with abundance, happiness and great good fortune 🙏🏻 #HappyGaneshChaturthi pic.twitter.com/rwGtmkFmLp
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) August 22, 2020

गणपती बाप्पा मोरया! 🙏 #HappyGaneshChaturthi to those celebrating 😊
— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) August 22, 2020

#HappyGaneshChaturthi 🙏 Wisdom, prosperity and happiness to you and your loved ones. pic.twitter.com/ZfLV6shKpr
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) August 22, 2020

May Lord Ganesha illuminate your life's journey & provide you with auspicious beginnings.
Wish you a very happy #HappyGaneshChaturthi. pic.twitter.com/3Zg2SLjxkD
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) August 22, 2020

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi! 🙏
May Lord Ganesha shower us all with his blessings & this festival brings love, joy and celebrations for you and your family!💛#ganpatibappamorya 🐘 pic.twitter.com/FZbYo7MKZx
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) August 22, 2020

Wishing that Lord Ganesha fill your heart with happiness and home with peace and prosperity…. May you are always blessed and protected….. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi ! pic.twitter.com/eauD5ObWl9
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) August 22, 2020

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi 😇😊 pic.twitter.com/vUpUlwVfDF
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 22, 2020

Virat Kohli gears up for the IPL

Virat Kohli has scored truckloads of runs in the IPL

Meanwhile, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have arrived in UAE, where the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played from 18 September to 10 November.

Captain Virat Kohli will be eager to end the trophy drought and lead the team to the coveted silverware which has forever eluded them. His personal stats in the tournament are impressive, with 5412 runs from 177 games at an average of 37.84 and strike rate of 131.64.

All the games will be played in three cities – Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. This is only the second time the tournament has been moved outside India.

On 24 March 2009, the BCCI officially announced that the second season of the IPL was to be held in South Africa due to general elections in the country. And this time, the tournament has been moved out due to the rising number of COVID-19 infections in India.