NEW DELHI: In a heartwarming tale of passion and dedication, 15-year-old Kartikey, a schoolboy from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh, cycled 58 kilometers just to catch a glimpse of his cricketing hero, Virat Kohli, batting in the Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur.
The viral video on social media has captured the story of a young boy, who embarked on a solo journey from Unnao to Kanpur on his bicycle to witness the Test match between India and Bangladesh.
It took him seven hours to complete his 58-kilometer journey from Unnao to Kanpur. Leaving his home at 4 am, he cycled through the early morning darkness and finally reached the Green Park Stadium at 11 am.
Talking about the match, the first day’s play was cut short due to bad light, followed by heavy rain, as Bangladesh reached 107-3 on Friday before the match was called off early.
India, leading the two-match series 1-0, opted to field in overcast conditions, and fast bowler Akash Deep justified captain Rohit Sharma’s decision with two early breakthroughs in the first hour.
He dismissed opener Zakir Hasan for a duck and trapped Shadman Islam lbw for 24 with well-directed seam deliveries to the left-handers.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who scored 31, then steadied the innings alongside Mominul Haque, adding 51 runs to see out the remainder of the first session.
However, after lunch, Ravichandran Ashwin – India’s hero from the first match – broke the partnership. The off-spinner, who had shone with both bat and ball in the opening win, got Najmul lbw with a sharp-turning delivery from around the wicket.
