Kolkata turns into ‘Virat land’ as b’day boy scores 49th ODI ton

KOLKATA: Kohli mania gripped Kolkata on Sunday. From the die-hard cricket fan to the jersey-seller at Maidan and the discerning aficionado at the Club House to Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Kolkata chanted Kohli’s name on Sunday throughout the much-awaited clash between India and South Africa. That Kohli slammed a hundred — his 49th in ODIs, equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s record — came as the icing on the cake on his birthday, leaving everyone ecstatic.As Kohli raised his bat, Eden exploded in a thunderous applause and glowing cellphones.
Thousands had headed to Eden on Sunday wearing jerseys saying ‘Kohli’ on the back. A series of Kohli cut-outs were placed along a Maidan fence, marking each of his ODI hundreds. Even though it is the Indian fast bowlers who have been breathing fire, and it was no different on Sunday, King Kohli ruled Eden and the rest of the city.

From the moment he strode on to the pitch, the excitement was palpable. Every time there was an appeal against him or a DRS taken, Eden stopped breathing, only to spring to life when the giant screen said: ‘Not Out’.
“Happy that the legendary Indian batsman Virat Kohli is there in Kolkata on his birthday to play a historic match for our country!! A very happy birthday to Virat… Wish him and his family all happiness,” CM Mamata Banerjee posted on X, along with a picture of the player.
Tamaghna Banerjee, a cricket fan from Baguiati, was on his way to Eden with eight-year-old son Danish, who sported an India jersey with ‘Virat’ printed on the back. “We are here to witness his century,” Banerjee said.
Similarly elated was Gourav Mondal, who came to the city from Murshidabad to watch Kohli bat.
Friends Rony Mukherjee, Mayukh Aditya, Souvik Hota and Aman Kumar, all third-year engineering students at a city college, were outside Eden wearing Kohli’s India jerseys to get a glimpse of Kohli, even though they didn’t have tickets to the stands.
A group of 70 members from the Virat Kohli Help Foundation West Bengal turned up at Eden Gardens dressed in India jerseys and wearing Kohli masks, carrying a 75ft Indian flag. They cut a cake near the Club House to celebrate Kohli’s birthday before they entered the stadium while cheering for him.