Hyderabad: A 15-year-old boy who is a diehard fan of the India batting stalwart Virat Kohli has been going viral on social media as he travelled a whopping 58km on his bicycle just to watch his favourite star bat. The teenage boy travelled from Unnao to Kanpur to witness his star in the ongoing second Test match between India and Bangladesh at Green Park in Kanpur on Friday, September 27, 2024.
In the viral video, the young boy disclosed his name to be Kartikey and explained his seven-hour journey from his home town to the stadium. He mentioned how he started his journey at 4:00 am in dark and reached the stadium at 11:00 am on the opening day of the second and final Test of the series. Upon being asked whether his parents stopped him from coming, Kartikeya, a class 10th student, revealed that they allowed him to travel on his own.
However, Kartikeya’s wish to watch his favourite cricketer, Virat Kohli bat couldn’t be fulfilled on Day 1 as India captain Rohit Sharma opted to bowl under overcast conditions after winning the toss. Notably, the last time India opted to field first in a home Test was in Bengaluru (vs South Africa) in 2015. Only the second instance of a team opting to field first in 24 Tests in Kanpur, the first coming way back in 1964 (vs England).
The Indian team didn’t make any changes to their playing XI as local boy Kuldeep Yadav failed to find a place in the team. Day one of the second was called off after rain played a spoilsport. In the middle of the second session, the game was called off, and only 35 overs of play took place on Friday. At stumps, Bangladesh stood at 107/3 with Mominul Haque (40*) and Mushfiqur Rahim (6*) unbeaten on the crease.
