"Toss is also giving farewell to Virat Kohli" - Fans react as Team India takes on Namibia in their final game at the 2021 T20 World Cup
Team India will be playing their final match of the 2021 T20 World Cup tonight (November 8) as they take on Namibia in a dead rubber. Both teams are already out of the reckoning for a spot in the semifinals.
Virat Kohli won the toss for the second consecutive game and chose to bowl first in his farewell game as the Men in Blue's T20I skipper. Rahul Chahar replaced Varun Chakravarthy in India's playing XI. The rest of the team remained the same.
Here are the playing XIs for today's game:
India playing XI: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rahul Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
Namibia playing XI: Stephan Baard, Michael van Lingen, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus(c), Zane Green(w), David Wiese, Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz.
View the T20 World Cup 2021 timetable here.
Most of the fans were emotional as this marks Virat Kohli's final match as India's T20I captain. They took to Twitter to express their views on it. Some were looking forward to the new leadership while bidding farewell to Kohli.
Here are some of the best reactions:
Indian cricket fans rn:-
#IndvsNam
#India https://t.co/GjrpJEU2NB
Ravi shastri saying that boys needed a break between world cup and ipl when we all know if all these players are given an option to take rest or play another ipl starting from the next day of there match against namabia, what they will choose. Such a lame excuse
#IndvsNam
So..
Toss also giving farewell to
Virat Kohli .
🙇
RT
#IndvsNam #Kohli #BCCI #IndianCricketTeam #ViratKohli #ind https://t.co/HNPxTjr66L
After getting eliminated, India should have chose to bat and put on a show for the fans in the last match.
#IndvsNam #T20WorldCup
@ANI Aur aaj jeet ke kya karenge team India??? #IndvsNam https://t.co/aCju5Jd9iH
And it's a wrap
#IndvsNam https://t.co/s3hVBlwBTS
@CricCrazyJohns Kohli won the toss and chose to bowl. Not willing to bat first against Namibia for full 20 overs and score big runs. Sums up his captaincy fiasco #IndvsNam
One last time 💔 as a Captain 🧢
#ViratKohli 👑🙌🥺
#IndvsNam https://t.co/J440Tdwfas
One last time! 😭 The #Mentor, #MSDhoni & the #Captain, #ViratKohli.
And as a #ForeverMSDian, when I realise that I won't be able to see my man on field anymore for months.. 😢
End of #Dhoni - #Kohli Captaincy era is an emotion.
#INDvNAM #INDvsNAM
#TeamIndia #T20WorldCup2021 https://t.co/nwTyjdIruY
Happy for rohit sharma but this hurts
One of the most unlucky player out there💔
Thank you king 👑👑
#ViratKohli https://t.co/HifPikKDV2
Just them made my childhood awesome💙💁
#MSDhoni #ViratKohli #MahiRat #TeamIndia @msdhoni @imVkohli https://t.co/GVmSoKrybQ
Sachin Tendulkar won World Cup as a Player. It's time for Virat Kohli to do it for India. Not all players lucky enough in Captaincy. #INDvNAM
Scored most T20I runs by an India skipper. ✔️
Quickest to score 1000 T20I runs as a captain. ✔️
Only India skipper to have registered T20I series wins in SA, ENG, NZ, and Aus. ✔️
Virat Kohli’s Record as India’s T20I Captain is simply remarkable. 🔥
#ViratKohli #T20WorldCup
Indian players should have taken some rest before the World Cup: Madan Lal
Former Indian player Madan Lal felt that the Men in Blue would have benefited if there was some gap between the IPL and the World Cup. Lal feels it would have given them a much-needed breather.
Most of the Indian players have been on the road and in bio bubbles since the WTC final in June 2021. Lal opined that a break just before the World Cup might have helped them to get rejuvenated.
"Bio-bubble fatigue actually played an important role here. It is not an excuse! Remember the India-New Zealand match. When the Kiwis were hitting the ball, it was going out of the park but when our players were hitting, it was going into the fielders' hands. So, they were tired, there's no doubt about that," Lal said as quoted by the IANS.
He added:
"They came directly to the World Cup after playing in the IPL. Before that they were in England (for the Test series). Now that is the problem? they could have opted out of the league (IPL). They should have taken some rest before the World Cup."
The Men in Blue will look to put in a dominant performance tonight and sign off on a high note after a disappointing campaign at the 2021 T20 World Cup.