After social media united to come up with the idea, hundreds of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) supporters donned white jerseys on Saturday, May 17, to honor the Test career of star batsman Virat Kohli, who announced the end of his red-ball career on Monday. RCB was due to face KKR in Bengaluru as the IPL 2025 resumed.
However, it seems that nature had its own designs. On the day that thousands showed up wearing white jerseys for Kohli, a group of white pigeons flew above the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the long wait for the rain to stop. It was a beautiful but unexpected sight.
Kohli announced his retirement from Tests earlier this week through a post on his social media handles.
“Clouds crying, white pigeons flying over Chinnaswamy, fans wearing white jerseys in the stands, what a tribute King Kohli is getting at the moment," a fan at the stadium said.
Watch the viral video of the pigeons here:
By wearing Kohli's famous No. 18 India Test jersey and forgoing their customary red in favor of white, the Bengaluru supporters transformed the stadium stands into a sea of white, signifying Kohli's remarkable 14-year Test career.
As early as 4.30 pm, fans wearing white jerseys with the iconic No. 18 imprinted on the back and holding placards lined up outside the stadium, making it obvious that Kohli was the star of the day.
Unfortunately, the match between RCB and KKR got rained out and both teams received one point each. As a result, RCB needs only one more point to qualify for the playoffs, while KKR has been knocked out of the race for the last four.
