Kanpur: Virat Kohli made a solid 29 off 26 balls in his first T20I as India’s captain, before being dismissed by Moeen Ali in the first T20 match in Kanpur. The India skipper, who was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri, opened the innings along with KL Rahul.
Follow: Live | India vs England 1st ODI from Kanpur
The decision was taken considering poor form of Indian openers as both KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan struggled to get runs against England in the recently concluded ODI series.
Before the match, Kohli, who gave India a blistering start and played some beautiful shots along the ground, expressed his delight at receiving the Padma Shri.
Kohli said that it was an honour to receive the award and announcing the award on Republic Day made it even more special.
“It’s a huge honour for me to win the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of the country. It’s not just related to sports but an appreciation by the whole country. It gives me huge pleasure to receive this award something that I am very grateful about. I got to know this yesterday and my family, my coach are very happy for me and it is indeed a very proud moment for me,” said Kohli.
The captain also had a message for his fans and fellow country men.
“I would like to wish everyone a very happy Republic Day and I hope they enjoy the day and keep patriotism alive in their heart,” added Kohli.
