'Aapne bola mere liye...': Virat Kohli Engages in Heartfelt Exchange with Fan Ahead of 1st ODI vs SL

The much-anticipated ODI series between Sri Lanka and India starts at 2:30 pm at the R. Premadasa Stadium. With players like Avishka Fernando and Wanindu Hasaranga, the talented Sri Lankan team under the leadership of Charith Asalanka will try to make an impact. Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and the dynamic duo of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are among the strong players on Rohit Sharma's Indian team. With both teams eager to set the tone for the series, this match promises to be thrilling.

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Virat Kohli interacts with a fan and signs his bat ahead of India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI

Following his practice session before the first ODI against Sri Lanka on August 2 at Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium, Virat Kohli had a noteworthy interaction with a fan following. After a month's sabbatical, the Indian cricket player is returning to international scene.

In the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final, Kohli made his farewell appearance for India; the squad defeated South Africa to take the trophy. Kohli retired from T20I cricket after this triumph, so he did not take part in the most recent T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Kohli spoke with supporters who had keenly assembled to witness their preferred player following the practice. Not disappointing, the former Indian captain signed autographs and had a unique encounter with one ardent fan. Kohli signed and then recalled an interesting encounter. Virat Kohli remarked: 

“Sign Karu kya? (Should I sign it?)”

“Aapne toh bola mere liye hai. (You said this was for me)”

After his retirement from T20 cricket, Virat Kohli is now focussing only on ODIs and Test matches. India's schedule leading up to the 2025 Champions Trophy in February consists of only six One Day International (ODI) matches.

Virat Kohli's inaugural ODI outing of the year comes against Sri Lanka, when he aims to emulate his success from the previous year. In 2023, he achieved the second-highest number of runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs) for India, accumulating a total of 1,377 runs in 27 matches. His performance was surpassed only by Shubman Gill. Kohli had a remarkable performance in the Men's ODI World Cup, accumulating 765 runs and receiving the Player of the Tournament accolade.

At the age of 36, Kohli has an impressive performance history versus Sri Lanka. He has accumulated 2,594 runs in 51 One Day International (ODI) innings, which includes 10 hundreds.

On August 2nd at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Rohit Sharma will captain India against Sri Lanka in the first One Day International (ODI) match.