Star India batter Virat Kohli received warm wishes from the crowd in Auckland during the first ODI against New Zealand ahead of his birthday. He will celebrate his 38th birthday on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
India won the toss and opted to bowl first. They bowled New Zealand out for just 185 runs in 40.2 overs. While Virat Kohli was close to the boundary during fielding, the crowd behind him in the stands started wishing him a happy birthday in advance, singing ” Happy Birthday ” and cheering loudly for the superstar.
Kohli turned back for a brief moment and waved at the crowd with one hand, acknowledging the birthday wishes from them. As he did so, the cheer from the crowd got louder. They all had their phones out to record the moment.
Watch the video of the same below –
As Rohit Sharma fell in the very first over, Kohli stepped onto the crease early in the chase. He started off well and appeared to be in solid touch. The star batter struck five boundaries, including his trademark cover drive, and got to 29 off 27 balls at a strike rate of 107.4, before the players had to leave the field due to a rain interruption.
As things stand, India are comfortably placed in the chase, getting to 54/1 in 10.5 overs. However, due to rain, the number of overs will be reduced, and the Men in Blue will have a revised target if and when play resumes.
Virat Kohli reaches massive milestone during first ODI against New Zealand
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli achieved a massive milestone during the first ODI against New Zealand. Courtesy of his unbeaten 29 so far, he completed 13000 runs in ODIs, becoming the first batter ever to do so while playing at number three in the format.
He had 12988 runs at the position in ODIs before the start of the ongoing game against New Zealand. Kohli now has 13017 runs from 251 matches at an average of 61.69, with 48 hundreds and 69 fifties at number three.
The next closest to Virat Kohli is former Australian skipper and great Ricky Ponting, who scored 12662 runs in ODIs while batting at number three at an average of 42.49.
Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️
Edited by Rishab Vm
