Virat Kohli birthday celebration: Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), which had initially planned an extravagant celebration for Virat Kohli's birthday at the Eden Gardens, has scaled down their arrangements. Most of the grand festivities have been cancelled, with only a fireworks display remaining for the fans at the stadium. Originally, CAB had intended to celebrate Kohli's 35th birthday before the highly anticipated India vs. South Africa match on November 5th. However, the cricketing body in West Bengal has now revised its plans.
As per a RevSportz report, there won't be a special cake-cutting ceremony as initially planned. Kohli's birthday cake will be sent directly to the dressing room instead of a public ceremony. The idea of distributing 70,000 Kohli masks to fans as a tribute to the star cricketer has also been dropped. The cake-cutting event, which was supposed to be a public spectacle, will no longer take place in front of the fans. Only fireworks and laser shows will be there for the fans' enjoyment.
“Update: The idea to distribute 70,000 masks by the CAB on Virat Kohli's birthday has been scrapped. No cake cutting ceremony & it'll be only handed over in the dressing room. Only fireworks for the crowd and public to enjoy.
#INDvSA #CWC23”, tweeted RevSportz on X (formerly Twitter).
CAB President Snehasish Ganguly in a conversation with RevSportz a few days ago said, “We have ordered a cake for Virat, and the design will be something everyone identifies with Virat Kohli. I am not sharing the pictures yet, for let that be a surprise. Also, we plan to host a fireworks show during the mid-innings interval for Virat and the crowd. It will be our way of celebrating his birthday, and our way of saying that the entire Kolkata crowd are part of the celebrations. We are sure of a full house and everyone in the stands is a Virat fan. It is a gesture on behalf of all of them.”
On November 5th, when India face South Africa, a full house is expected at the Eden Gardens. The added bonus for the Kolkata crowd will be the celebration of Virat Kohli's birthday. Therefore, it can be anticipated that the Eden Gardens crowd will be eager for Kohli to deliver an outstanding performance on his birthday and potentially match Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries.