'Fatigued' Kohli holds chest & gasps for breath while batting; fans ask 'are you okay?'

Team India clinched victory by 71 runs against Zimbabwe in the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to qualify for the semi-finals as the Group 2 winners. During the match, fans witnessed a surprising moment, which featured the Indian cricket stalwart Virat Kohli. While batting in the first innings of the match at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Kohli was seen panting and struggling to catch his breath. 

Kohli is known worldwide for his fitness standards and is possibly the fittest cricketer in the world. While fans have hardly seen Kohli struggle physically when batting, a video clip of the cricketer from Sunday’s game is currently going viral on social media. In the video, Kohli runs for three runs before looking down toward the pitch to catch his breath and even holds his chest.

Kohli struggles after intense running between wickets, fans suggest 'take some break'

Concerned fans shed their thoughts on the incident, with some urging the Team India batting talisman to go for a health check-up, while others inquiring if he is okay. 

The incident took place in the seventh over of the first innings when Kohli was batting alongside KL Rahul. Kohli whipped the first ball of the seventh over against the turn to score a boundary. However, the batters had already ran for two runs as the fielder was placed near the boundary.

In the next ball, Kohli hit the ball in the same area to add another couple of runs to India’s tally. It seems like the intense running got the better of Kohli, who took a while to catch his breath before resuming his innings. Meanwhile, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar explained the events while commentating on the match. 

What was said about Virat Kohli during India vs Zimbabwe at T20 World Cup?

"He is such a quick runner between the wicket. Always looking for the extra run. You could see that the moment he played it, he knew where the fielder was, knew the power that he had. And so, the second was always going to be on. Just giving himself a little bit of a breather," Gavaskar said while on air.

Meanwhile, Kohli’s innings came to an end in the 12th over of the match on the individual score of 26 runs in 25 balls. KL went on to score 51 off 35, while Suryakumar Yadav played a sensational knock of 61 runs in 25 balls to help India score 186/5 in the first innings. Zimbabwe was then bowled out on 115 runs in the second innings as India claimed the top spot in the Group 2 standings.