Yuvraj Singh, a former teammate and one of India’s best all-rounders, turned 40 on Sunday, and Virat Kohli sent him a heartfelt birthday message. As he wished Yuvi Pa ‘love and success,’ the Test skipper recalled a comical anecdote, providing insight into their long-standing friendship.
Speaking in a video through his Instagram stories, Kohli spoke about his early memories as an Under-19 graduate and how Yuvraj Singh made him feel comfortable in the senior team.
“I had come in from the Under-19 World Cup; he welcomed me very nicely, made me comfortable, started joking around with me, and we liked similar kind of food. We are both Punjabis, love Punjabi music, getting nice clothes, shoes (chuckles); all these kinds of things have remained common over the years. We used to go out and do quite a bit of shopping together in a group obviously; so the likes were quite similar.” he said
Yuvraj Singh planned to pedal from Dambulla to Colombo (about 160 miles) on a bicycle during a tour of Sri Lanka, leaving everyone ‘laughing on the floor,’ according to Virat Kohli.
“We were in Dambulla; it was a couple of days off a match and literally at 3 or 3:30 in the morning he goes, ‘We are gonna ride these bicycles to Colombo’ and I clearly remember we all fell down laughing on the floor because it was just outrageous. We had a match in two days’ time.” Kohli said
Kohli’s first series was most likely in 2008, when India played two One-Day Internationals at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. Both Singh and Kohli went on to greater heights for India after the series, including winning the 2011 World Cup.
“Lots of love always” – Virat Kohli to Yuvraj Singh
“Happy birthday Yuvi Pa! Lots of peace, happiness and prosperity to you and lots of love always. And my best wishes to you.” he wrote
Singh made his international comeback under Kohli, but after the 2017 Champions Trophy, he lost his spot. He’s hinted at a return to the pitch on several occasions, but it’s unclear whether he’s serious. In the meanwhile, Kohli will return to action on December 26 in South Africa.
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