"Great player": WI icon Wes Hall hails Kohli, gifts him his book 'Answering to the Call'
Jun 19, 2024
By Vipul Kashyap
Bridgetown [Barbados], June 19 : West Indies iconic speedster Wesley Hall met stalwart batter Virat Kohli and gifted him his book 'Answering to the Call' ahead of India's Super 8 clash.
India will begin the Super 8 stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup against Afghanistan at Kensington Oval, Barbados, on Thursday.
On the eve of the clash, Hall, who was known for his sheer pace in his playing days, met the modern-day star Kohli and gifted him his book.
He also had a brief conversation with Kohli, heaped praise on Kohli, called him a "great player", and hoped that he would continue to play for India.
Published in November 2022, 'Answering to the Call' revolves around Hall's illustrious cricketing career and his journey to become one of the top pacers in the history of the game.
The second part of the book was released earlier this year which reveals Hall's time as a senator and a politician. Along with Kohli, head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma received Hall's book.
"I gave three books today. I gave a book to the captain (Rohit Sharma) and another one to the coach (Rahul Dravid) and Virat Kohli. All three of them are great players. It's good to see people getting rewarded. Sometimes, you are a good player, and you haven't made it. I think they have done very well for India," Hall told ANI.
After failing to seal their berth in the final of the marquee event in the previous edition, India will be keen to bolster their chances of lifting the title.
India won the inaugural competition in 2007 under the leadership of MS Dhoni. Fans still remember the moment when Dhoni handed the ball to Joginder Sharma to bowl the final over against their arch-rival Pakistan.
Pakistan fancied their chances to run away with the trophy with 13 needed in six deliveries and Misbah-ul-Haq on the crease. Joginder successfully defended the total and played a crucial part in India's incredible title run.
In the ongoing edition, India are flawless in the group stage and will look to maintain their unbeaten record as the level of challenges increases.
India T20 WC squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed. Siraj.
