Virat Kohli got a golden bat as a gift on his birthday, and a huge cake was also cut!

PC: navbharattimes. indiatimes

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) celebrated Virat Kohli's 35th birthday with pomp at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 5 November. Kohli, who equaled Sachin Tendulkar's record with his 49th ODI century, was gifted a golden bat by Snehasish Ganguly, CAB president and brother of former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. The presentation came after Kohli was awarded the 'Player of the Match' for his unbeaten 101 in India's stunning 243-run win over South Africa.

After receiving the golden bat, Kohli expressed his gratitude by getting photographed with the ground staff at Eden Gardens, the same venue where he scored his maiden ODI century. CAB also prepared a special cake for the occasion. In the post-match presentation, Kohli shared his feelings saying, "This is a very emotional moment for me, I know where I have come from. I know the days when I watched them on TV, And to get that appreciation from them means a lot to me."

Kohli, the leading run-scorer for India in the World Cup 2023, stressed on the joy of the game, saying, "I am enjoying playing cricket, and it is more important to me than the stages. I am just happy about it." God has blessed me with that enjoyment. I'm just happy that I'm able to do what I've been doing for years."

Took full advantage of his birthday by scoring an unbeaten 101 against South Africa and equaled Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 centuries, the most in the history of ODI cricket. Kohli completed his 49th century in just 277 innings. Great batsman Sachin Tendulkar scored his 49th century in his 451st ODI innings.