For their last Super Fours match versus Bangladesh during Asia Cup 2023 on Friday, September 15, India rested five players, including their former captain Virat Kohli. The top batter at the R Premadasa Stadium still kept himself occupied by bringing water to his colleagues.
After Tanzid Hasan was dismissed by Shardul Thakur in the fourth over of the game prior to India winning the coin toss and deciding to play, Virat Kohli, who was seen in the 12th-man outfit, took beverages onto the field.
Virat Kohli has previously stepped up for the other players when he wasn’t selected for the starting lineup. The famous batter has served as a waterboy on several occasions in the past.
India, as anticipated, put their depth to the test after advancing to the Asia Cup 2023 championship game. During their first two Super 4s matches, India trounced Pakistan by 228 runs and Sri Lanka by 41 runs. Notably, Sri Lanka also secured a ticket to the finals of the tournament by defeating Pakistan on Thursday in Colombo in a match that served as a virtual semifinal.
Other Indian Team changes for the match against Bangladesh
For their match against Bangladesh on Friday, India rested Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, as well as Mohammed Siraj.
Tilak Varma, the 20-year-old, earned his ODI debut and received his first cap from skipper Rohit Sharma. Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna, and Suryakumar Yadav were also given opportunities by India for the meaningless match against Bangladesh.
Notably, Shardul Thakur joined Axar Patel in the starting XI for the RPS in Colombo. Shreyas Iyer skipped his third straight Super Fours game because his back spasm has not completely subsided. Prior to the ODI World Cup, which begins on October 5, and the three-match ODI series against Australia, India will want to give its bench players playing time.
Fans react to Virat Kohli bringing drinks for the Indian team during their Asia Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh:
Virat Kohli enjoying his time the most. (Rohit Juglan).
What a character! pic.twitter.com/uh8gTqFIw3
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 15, 2023
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