"To my superhero..." - Mohammed Siraj pens emotional tribute to Virat Kohli
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj on Tuesday penned a heartfelt tribute to Virat Kohli, who recently relinquished the captaincy of Test cricket after seven years.
In a post on his Instagram account, Siraj shared pictures of his memories with Kohli while playing for India and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He called Kohli his "superhero," thanking him for brotherly support, trust, and seeing the great in him even at his worst. The 27-year-old stated that Kohli will always be his captain.
He wrote:
"To my superhero, I cannot thankful enough for the support and encourage I get from you. You have always been a great brother to me thank you for trusting in me and believing me all these years. Seeing the great at my worst. You always my captain king Kohli 👑 (sic)"
Siraj spent his formative years in the Indian Premier League (IPL) under Kohli's leadership. He also made his ODI and T20Is debut under the former captain. Though he played his maiden Test under Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy in Melbourne, some of his best performances in the format have come under Kohli's tutelage.
He has often credited Kohli's support for his development from an erratic swing bowler in 2017-18 to one of India's best red-ball bowlers today. Kohli, on the other hand, has often praised the right-arm seamer as a match-winner. This tribute, thus, is just another example of their mutual respect.
Mohammed Siraj and Virat Kohli could be seen in action in South Africa
Guided #TeamIndia with courage & fearlessness 👍
Led the side to historic wins 🔝
Let's relive some of the finest moments from @imVkohli's tenure as India's Test captain. 👏 👏
Watch this special feature 🎥 🔽
bit.ly/3rt6pGG https://t.co/4FMCLstZu3
While the Hyderabad-born will likely never play under Kohli's leadership again, they will continue to perform for India together.
The pacer picked up a hamstring injury in the recently-concluded Test series against South Africa. There's no confirmation on his recovery but if he's fit he could have a part to play in the upcoming ODI series.
The three-match rubber, Kohli's first as non-captain, will begin on January 19 in Paarl. KL Rahul will lead the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma who is out due to an injury. Jasprit Bumrah will be Rahul's deputy for the series.