Virat Kohli gets a surprise gift from Sachin Tendulkar ahead of World Cup final

Ahead of the World Cup 2023 between India and Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar gifted Virat Kohli his number '10' jersey, which Tendulkar wore in his last ODI match against Pakistan in 2012. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to their official X (formerly Twitter) account and shared pictures of the moment when Kohli received the legendary jersey.

"A special occasion & a special pre-match moment. Sachin Tendulkar 2011 and Virat Kohli 2023," BCCI wrote on X.

In this World Cup, in the semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai, Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries to become the first player in the history of ODI cricket to score 50 centuries. Kohli also won the hearts of fans when he bowed to Sachin who was applauding in the stands witnessing the star batter breaking his record. Virat scored 117 in 113 balls in the first semi-final match against New Zealand in a match-winning knock that consisted of nine fours and two sixes. Virat scored his runs at a strike rate of over 103.





Coming into the finals of the World Cup, Kohli had scored 711 runs in 10 innings in the world cup with an average of over 100, scoring the highest number of runs in a Cricket World Cup edition, going past Sachin's record of 673 runs in the 2003 edition of the tournament.

It should be noted that Kohli has been wearing jersey number 18 for Team India since his under-19 days. Even in the IPL, he uses the same jersey number. Kohli, in an interview last year, had said though he never specifically asked for the number 18 jersey, he felt that there a cosmic connection with the number. He revealed that the number 18 became an important part of his life. He debuted for India on 18th of August, 2008. And his father passed away on the 18th of December, 2006. "Two of the most significant dates in my life happened to be 18,” he said.

“There has to be a cosmic connection with this number," he said.

After Kohli broke Tendulkar's ODI ton record, the Master Blaster in a touching post on social media platform X said: "The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn’t stop laughing that day. But soon, you touched my heart with your passion and skill. I am so happy that that young boy has grown into a ‘Virat’ player. I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage - in the World Cup Semi-final - and at my home ground is the icing on the cake."