The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has made some exciting plans to celebrate Virat Kohli's 35th birthday, which is set to clash with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and South Africa at the iconic Eden Gardens on November 5.
CAB will provide around 70,000 fans with complimentary 'Virat Kohli masks' as their grand gesture to celebrate 'King Kohli's' special day on November 5, with all tickets for the India versus South Africa match being sold out well in advance.
In addition to the mask distribution, CAB will also hold a cake-cutting ceremony before the CWC 2023 match, and Kohli will be honored with a memento after the celebration.
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It's a fitting tribute to one of cricket's greatest icons, and the stadium promises to be a sea of Kohli masks, which will surely be an unforgettable day for the fans and the former Indian skipper.
CAB president Snehasish Ganguly told reporters: “We hope to get an approval from the ICC on this. We want to make the day special for Virat. We want every fan in the stadium wearing Kohli's masks as he walks in. We plan to distribute about 70,000 masks on that day.”
“We have ordered a cake for Virat, and the design will be something everyone identifies with Virat Kohli. I am not sharing the pictures yet, to let that be a surprise. Also, we plan to host a fireworks show during the mid-innings interval for Virat and the crowd. It will be our way of celebrating his birthday, and our way of saying that the entire Kolkata crowd are part of the celebrations. We are sure of a full house and everyone in the stands is a Virat fan. It is a gesture on behalf of all of them," added CAB President and Sourav Ganguly's brother Snehasish Ganguly.
Notably, India has so far won all their six matches at the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023 and they will next face Sri Lanka at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 3.
This is the third consecutive birthday Virat Kohli will be celebrating during an ICC event. In 2021, India played Scotland in a T20 World Cup match in Dubai. In 2022, Kohli's birthday was one day before India's clash against Zimbabwe.
(With PTI Inputs)
