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Team India greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were felicitated by the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) during the first ODI between the hosts and New Zealand at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, on Sunday, January 11. It was a unique felicitation ceremony that sparked a frenzy on social media.
With the Kotambi Stadium hosting its first-ever men's ODI match, the organisers decided to honour two of India's ODI legends at the venue. The felicitation ceremony took place in the presence of ICC president Jay Shah and current BCCI chief Mithun Manhas, who were both present at the venue.
What caught the attention of the fans on social media was the unique way in which the ceremony was staged. Fans were left in splits as Rohit and Kohli made their entry at the felicitation ceremony in a large cupboard which had life-size stickers of the two cricketers.
The senior Indian players were put inside the cupboard and came out of it when their names were announced during the ceremony, which took place during the mid-innings break at the BCA Stadium. Fans were left amazed at the hilarious entry of the duo and joked it was an 'out of the box' idea. Some also jokingly labelled it an 'unboxing ceremony' of the two Indian cricketers.
Kohli and Rohit signed their respective photos after stepping out of the cupboard and were spotted having a laugh about their unique entry before receiving the flower bouquets.
The duo were felicitated during the first ODI as it is likely to be their first and last appearance for India at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. Over 35,000 fans flocked to the stadium on Sunday to witness India's first-ever ODI match at the venue. The venue rarely gets to host an ODI match, and the organisers wanted to make the most of the opportunity by honouring two of India's best ODI players in the last decade on the special occassion.
India restricted New Zealand to 300/8 in 50 overs after opting to bowl first in the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday. The Kiwis got off to a strong start as openers Devon Conway (56) and Henry Nicholls (62) slammed half-centuries apiece to add 117 runs for the first wicket.
However, Indian pacers did well to pull things back after breaking the opening stand. Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj picked up two wickets apiece to restrict New Zealand to 300 runs in 50 overs. India will be aiming to chase down the 301-run target to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
