To Sangakkara, love Kohli: Indian captain pens heartfelt hand-written note to retiring legend
Monday, 24 August 2015|
Hardik Bhawsar
Virat Kohli may have gotten a lot of flak early in his career for his aggressive behaviour on field but after reading his note to retiring Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara, there can be little doubt about the Indian captain's sportsmanship.
Kohli and the Indian team were praised for their guard of honour as well as gestures on field when Sangakkara came out to bat in his final two innings in the ongoing Test against India.
In fact, the Indian captain was at the forefront of the guard of honour and was the first to shake hands with him after Sangakkara fell to Ashwin on Saturday. Now Kohli has gone a step further with a heartfelt, hand-written note to the Sri Lankan.
In the note, tweeted by BCCI, Kohli says that it has been a pleasure knowing him 'as a person first' and thanks him for being an inspiration.
The note is accompanied by a photograph of the two of them and signed by the captain.
The two seem to share a great camaraderie both on and off field. In Sangakkara's last T20 match, when Sri Lanka beat India in the 2014 ICC World T20 finals thanks to his half-century, the two were seen chatting amiably after the match.
When asked about hat they spoke about, Sangakakra was quoted as saying, "It was very nice of him to have congratulated him on my fifty. All I told Virat was that it was an exceptional thing the way he batted, not just in the tournament but in the past two years. It's been a pleasure watching him bat. He's a really incredible player and really intense on the field. "
Before this Test series as well, Kohli was generous in his praise of hte Sri Lankan saying, "I have had quite a few chats with him on the field and away from the field as well. I am actually glad that he is going to be playing his last few games against us because it is a special occasion for us to be a part of. Such a legend of the game retiring, as a young side it will be an honour for us to give him that respect in his last few Tests. Hopefully, he doesn't score too many runs against us but I really wish him all the luck with his life after cricket. It has been wonderful to know such a great player and a great man."
Kohli and the Indian team were praised for their guard of honour as well as gestures on field when Sangakkara came out to bat in his final two innings in the ongoing Test against India.
In fact, the Indian captain was at the forefront of the guard of honour and was the first to shake hands with him after Sangakkara fell to Ashwin on Saturday. Now Kohli has gone a step further with a heartfelt, hand-written note to the Sri Lankan.
In the note, tweeted by BCCI, Kohli says that it has been a pleasure knowing him 'as a person first' and thanks him for being an inspiration.
The note is accompanied by a photograph of the two of them and signed by the captain.
The two seem to share a great camaraderie both on and off field. In Sangakkara's last T20 match, when Sri Lanka beat India in the 2014 ICC World T20 finals thanks to his half-century, the two were seen chatting amiably after the match.
When asked about hat they spoke about, Sangakakra was quoted as saying, "It was very nice of him to have congratulated him on my fifty. All I told Virat was that it was an exceptional thing the way he batted, not just in the tournament but in the past two years. It's been a pleasure watching him bat. He's a really incredible player and really intense on the field. "
Before this Test series as well, Kohli was generous in his praise of hte Sri Lankan saying, "I have had quite a few chats with him on the field and away from the field as well. I am actually glad that he is going to be playing his last few games against us because it is a special occasion for us to be a part of. Such a legend of the game retiring, as a young side it will be an honour for us to give him that respect in his last few Tests. Hopefully, he doesn't score too many runs against us but I really wish him all the luck with his life after cricket. It has been wonderful to know such a great player and a great man."
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