Indian cricket stalwart Virat Kohli turned 36 on Tuesday, and received an outpouring of wishes from people worldwide. One of the people to wish Kohli on his birthday was French footballer Paul Pogba. In an amusing appearance on a livestream with popular American YouTuber ‘IShowSpeed’, Pogba wished Kohli on his birthday. Pogba has been out of football action for more than a year, having last played in September 2023 for Juventus. Pogba is currently serving an 18-month ban due to doping.
During the livestream, Speed (real name Darren Jason Watkins Jr) asked Pogba whether he knew who Kohli is. Upon showing his picture and mentioning to him that he’s a cricketer, Pogba appeared to recognize.
Speed & Paul pogba wished Happy Birthday to Virat Kohli pic.twitter.com/nYH60pg7AQ
— Gaurav (@Melbourne__82) November 5, 2024
“Happy Birthday bro (brother), long life!” said Pogba, while wishing Kohli on his birthday. Kohli turned 36 on Tuesday, November 5.
Speed also told Pogba that Kohli is one of the best cricketers in the world, describing Kohli as a “legend”.
Pogba’s wish to Kohli was one of the highlights of his surprise appearance on Speed’s channel. The duo also engaged in football and video game challenges during the collaboration.
Pogba had been handed a four-year ban due to doping, which was later reduced to 18 months. He is eligible to resume training from January, and can appear competitively from March.
Meanwhile, Kohli’s form has come under intense scrutiny following India’s 0-3 home Test series whitewash at the hands of New Zealand. The batter managed just 93 runs in three Tests in the recently-concluded series.
As per a report by Hindustan Times, Kohli chose to spend his birthday with wife Anushka Sharma at his restaurant chain One8 Commune.
Kohli is next set to play in the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in Australia. The series gets underway on November 22. Kohli only played one of the four Tests when India last toured Australia in 2020/21.
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