India and Sri Lanka were up against each other in the 33rd match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. During the second innings of the match, while the Sri Lankan team were batting, the Mumbai crowd erupted “Kohli Ko Ball Do (Give the ball to Kohli)” and appealed to Indian captain Rohit Sharma to allow Virat Kohli to bowl as he mimicked his bowling action.
Virat Kohli mimics his bowling action & the crowd started chanting
KOHLI KO BALL DO 😅#INDvsSL #RohitSharma𓃵 #ViratKohli #CWC23INDIA #abhiya #elvisha #abhisha #INDvsENG #CricketWorldCup #CricketWorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/yYurYTL7Jn
— Virat Kohli(parody) (@harshraj5056) November 2, 2023
This came after Sri Lanka’s top order’s disappointing performance in the match, where they struggled against the Indian fast bowlers.
Coming to the match, Sri Lankan captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and chose to field first in the hot and humid conditions of Mumbai. India had a poor start, with their captain, Rohit Sharma, being dismissed on the second ball of the match by Dilshan Madhushanka’s beautiful outswinger.
However, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill formed a strong partnership of 189 runs for the second wicket, giving the impression that both players might score a century. Madushanka eventually dismissed both players, with Gill scoring 92 and Kohli scoring 88. Shreyas Iyer then came in and aggressively attacked the Sri Lankan bowlers, scoring a quickfire 82 off just 56 balls with three fours and six sixes. Ravindra Jadeja also played a few powerful shots towards the end, helping the Indian team reach a mammoth total of 357 in 50 overs.
In response, the Sri Lankan batters struggled against India’s pace attack. Jasprit Bumrah drew first blood on the very first ball of the match, followed by Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj wreaking havoc on the Sri Lankan team. Shami took another five-wicket haul in the tournament, while Siraj took three wickets, resulting in Sri Lanka being bowled out for just 55 runs. India won the game by 302 runs, with Shami being declared Man of The Match for his outstanding bowling performance.