Widely regarded as one of the fittest athletes in the world, Virat Kohli looked in his elements during India’s 2023 World Cup opener against Australia at Chepauk on Sunday (October 8).
Kohli took a sharp catch at first slip to get rid of Mitchell Marsh in the third over of the match. He was also brilliant in the outfield and was deservedly awarded a medal for being the best fielder of the match.
After the game, Kohli received his medal in the dressing room from fielding coach T Dilip. He was over the moon after this honour and celebrated it with childlike enthusiasm.
Here’s the video:
Coming to the match, India opened their World Cup campaign with a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Australia.
Chasing 200 to win, the Men in Blue found themselves in deep trouble at 2/3 after two overs. It could have been 20/4 but Mitchell Marsh dropped an easy catch to give Virat Kohli a reprieve on 12.
As it turned out, Australia paid the price for this missed opportunity, with Kohli sharing a 165-run partnership with KL Rahul to put India in driver’s seat.
While Virat fell after scoring 85 off 116 balls, Rahul held the one end firmly and stayed unbeaten on 97 off 115 balls alongside Hardik Pandya (11*) to take India over the line with 8.4 overs to spare.
India’s next World Cup match is scheduled against Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Wednesday (October 11).
