Bengaluru, May 18 (IANS) Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar lauded the heartwarming tribute by fans during the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders, where the fans came together to honour Virat Kohli following his retirement from Test cricket.

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru transformed into a breathtaking sea of white on Saturday evening, as fans donned white jerseys emblazoned with the iconic No. 18 to pay a stirring tribute to Kohli’s legendary Test career.

The heartfelt gesture began as a humble fan campaign—a simple social media post urging Royal Challengers Bengaluru supporters to wear white Virat Kohli jerseys to the RCB vs KKR clash, in honour of his recent retirement from Test cricket. What started as a small idea quickly turned into a powerful movement, as fans united to celebrate the legacy of a player who gave his all to the red-ball game.

“The love that the fans have for Virat Kohli, it’s something special. This was an IPL night match, and fans came dressed in whites to commemorate a moment in Indian cricket history. That’s a beautiful gesture. For five years, he made Test cricket watchable and more popular. We often say no player is bigger than the game, but during a time when Test cricket was struggling to engage fans, Virat gave it the attention it desperately needed,” Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.

“He’s still playing in the IPL, but he always had the desire to keep Test cricket alive. As a captain, I’ve never seen an Indian Test skipper who managed to keep the intensity so high, even when the team wasn’t doing well or when things were drifting. That’s a legacy in itself,” he added.

Saturday’s match, which marked the resumption of IPL 2025 after a week-long break, was Virat Kohli’s first appearance since announcing his retirement from Test cricket via a social media post.

However, the match was abandoned, without a ball being bowled, due to persistent rain. Both teams were awarded one point each, and with this RCB move atop the points table with 17 points from 12 games and closer to a confimred berth in the playoffs while KKR with 12 points from 13 games have been knocked out of Playoff contention.

–IANS

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