Virat Kohli breaks Abhishek's confidence to bits and pieces with epic send-off, opener remains silent in exchange

Virat Kohli was at his aggressive best on Friday as RCB took on SRH in Lucknow, in their penultimate IPL 2025 league phase fixture. During the first innings, Abhishek Sharma lost his wicket in the fourth over to Lungi Ngidi after a short cameo, where he registered 34 off 17 balls, smacking three fours and three sixes. Sunrisers Hyderabad's Abhishek Sharma walks after losing his wicket and Virat Kohli celebrates.(REUTERS)

Ngidi sent a full delivery on middle and leg, Abhishek mistimed his flick to deep backward square leg, and Phil Salt completed a well-judged catch near the boundary to break the opening partnership.

Reacting to the dismissal, Kohli had an epic send-off for the young batter, as he ran, screaming to the pitch and blurted something to Abhishek, who was walking back to the dugout. The SRH opener remained silent while Kohli said something to him, seemingly showing respect to a cricketer of the India great's status. Abhishek had taken an issue few days ago, when LSG's Digvesh Rathi came up with a send-off celebration.

Video of Virat Kohli's send-off to Abhishek Sharma:

Kohli recently announced his Test retirement on May 12, and it came a shock to many, as he was expected to feature in India’s upcoming five-match Test series in England, starting on June 20.

Kohli’s announcement followed the retirements of Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin, and India will have an inexperienced squad for the upcoming series.

Reacting to the news, England Test skipper Ben Stokes said in a video, “I texted him saying it’s going to be a shame not playing against him this time. I love playing against Virat. We’ve always relished the contest because we share the same mindset on the field – it’s a battle.”

“What India will miss is his fighting spirit on the field, his competitiveness, his desire to win. He’s made No. 18 his own – we might never see it on the back of another Indian shirt. He’s been pure class for such a long time.”

He added, “One thing I’ll always remember about Virat is how hard he hits the ball through the covers – that cover drive will live long in the memory.”

RCB have qualified for the playoffs already, with Kohli as their top-scorer. He is sixth in the Orange Cap race with 548 runs in 12 matches, at a strike rate of 145.35. He has also registered seven half-centuries this season.

Click here to read article