Sports

Twitter abuzz with praise for Kohli

Twitterati was abuzz with praise for Virat Kohli after he single-handedly guided India to the semifinals of the ICC World Twenty20 with a master-class unbeaten 82-run knock in the must-win last group match against Australia in Mohali. Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar led the tributes for Kohli, terming his last night’s innings as a ‘special’ one. ‘Woooow @imVkohli ...special it was... Great win, fighting all the way! #IndvsAus,’ Tendulkar tweeted. Another batting legend Brian Lara said Kohli was an ‘unbelievable’ batsman. ‘Anyway can anyone send me videos of @imVkohli as a teenager batting #unreal best timer of a cricket ball I hv seen,’ the West Indian great wrote on his twitter handle. ‘He is just an unbelievable batsman! No need to say anymore.’ Kohli’s team-mates Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Shikhar Dhawan also praised Kohli for his batsmanship and match-winning abilities.‘Well what can I say! There are players who r in form and there is @imVkohli who wins you games again and again! Hats of you beauty,’ Yuvraj tweeted. Harbhajan added: ‘JEO KOHLI JEO MERA SHER.What an inn?????? what a champion player u r my lil brother @imVkohli @BCCI ??????swad aa Gaya yara drallo drallllll?????????” ‘Hats off to Virat’s great knock!! Lots of learning from him!!??????,’ Dhawan tweeted. Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq was also full of praise for Kohli. ‘Great performance by India and a great innings by @imVkohli,’ he tweeted. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur tweeted: ‘Great effort @imVkohli. You’ve shown a great temperament. All the best Team India for semis. @BCCI.’ Australian cricketers Glenn Maxwell and just-retired Shane Watson, who witnessed Kohli’s brilliance from close quarters on Sunday, said they were beaten by a cricketing genius. ‘Well... That innings was a different level...Not a lot more to say really...Absolutely shattered. Beaten by 1 cricketing genius. #toogood,’ Maxwell wrote. Watson added: ‘@imVkohli What an absolute pleasure to witness that tonight. INCREDIBLE. Can’t wait to finally be on the same team @RCBTweets. #waytoogood.’