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The skies over Bengaluru may have refused to clear, but the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium still witnessed an unforgettable occasion, and it had Virat Kohli written all over it.
The IPL 2025 clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was officially abandoned due to relentless rain, and not a single delivery was bowled. Yet somehow, the day belonged unmistakably to one man: Virat Kohli.
What could have been a frustrating evening of inactivity transformed into a deeply emotional tribute, fuelled by collective admiration, respect and unfiltered fandom. While the scoreboard remained untouched, Kohli's impact was everywhere, etched across the stands, resonating in the air, and symbolically soaring above the clouds.
A stadium painted white
Instead of RCB’s signature red, the crowd at Chinnaswamy turned up in striking white jerseys, donning Kohli’s No. 18 India Test shirt.
The colour, so uncharacteristic of a T20 setting, carried deliberate weight. It was an organic fan-led tribute to Kohli’s recent retirement from Test cricket, a decision that caught many off guard in the middle of the IPL season.
The campaign began online, a humble suggestion to wear white as a nod to Kohli’s 14-year-long red-ball legacy. But it soon became something much bigger.
Outside the stadium, street vendors saw a rush for white Kohli jerseys, while inside, the sea of fans created a visual that overwhelmed even the drizzling skies. The moment was solemn yet celebratory, personal yet shared as if a farewell letter written not in words but in collective attire.
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Pigeons and poetry
Amid the steady drizzle and grey skies, a flock of white pigeons flew across the Chinnaswamy canopy. For many, the sight was more than a mere coincidence.
Even without the theatre of cricketing action, nature and sentiment collaborated to script an evocative moment. Rain, in that context, wasn't a spoiler but rather a backdrop, a curtain for an unplanned tribute.
Kohli’s enduring aura
Kohli didn’t bat, bowl, or field. Yet he dominated the evening. The washout was rendered irrelevant by the atmosphere of reverence. In that packed stadium, even without play, Kohli remained the protagonist, a reminder that some legacies don’t need live performances to be acknowledged.
