Virat Kohli has a reputation for being a showman. Of course, when the Indian Test captain is batting, all eyes are on him, but even when Kohli is fielding, he has a great deal of fun.
Kohli’s pleasant and serious banter, sledges, emotions, and facial expressions are hilarious to watch and have spawned some of the internet’s greatest memes. Kohli, maybe more than Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, elicits a wide range of sentiments from fans.
In simple words, Kohli is impossible to keep out of the game. When he’s not batting, the 33-year-old batter’s demeanour will keep observers entertained. On the third day of the first Test between India and South Africa in Centurion on Monday, Kohli was caught on the stump mic using a legendary catchphrase from former WWE star The Rock.
Why does Bumrah’s return fill Kohli with enthusiasm?
After hurting his ankle, India bowler Jasprit Bumrah had to leave the field. Bumrah returned to the field after receiving treatment, which was advantageous for India. Given how awful the ankle twist appeared, Indian supporters would have wanted to see him return.
Virat Kohli‘s enthusiasm at seeing Bumrah return was considerable, as seen by his statements. Kohli was captured on the stump microphone stating,
“Finally, the Rock has come back!”
While no footage of Kohli repeating the slogan has been unearthed, it set Twitter into a frenzy.
After the Indian test captain stated this line, which was originally said by The Rock when he returned to WWE after an eight-year absence, Indian Twitter was swamped with emotions.
Bumrah comes back to bowl after a lengthy break.
Kohli: FINALLY, THE ROCK HAS COME BACK!!
Referring to this epic comeback line by Rock, who came back to WWE in 2011 after a 8-year hiatus.
Absolute goosebumps to hear Kohli say that! What a reference! Virat um WWE fan polarku!😂 pic.twitter.com/EHe9waR4Qa
— Srini Mama (@SriniMaama16) December 28, 2021
Somebody just said ‘Finally, the Rock has come back’ on the stump mic.
— Venkata Krishna B (@venkatatweets) December 28, 2021
Finally the rock has come back
Kya bakchod hai kohli 🤣— #ChokliFinished (@fuxxagon) December 28, 2021
Why this reference is special?
For those uninformed, Dwayne Johnson, popularly known as ‘The Rock’ who is now a well-known actor in Hollywood, began his career in the WWE in 1996 and quickly rose to prominence and ‘finally, the Rock has come back’ is a slogan popularized by Hollywood actor during his time as The Rock in the WWE.
Every time The Rock did a concert, he’d begin by proclaiming, ‘Finally, The Rock has come back to…,’ followed by the name of the town he was in.
The Rock’s slogan became associated with him with such popularity that even Kohli, as seen, was no stranger to it. Definitely, Kohli might be one of the many teens who was attracted by sports & entertainment’s most dynamic man.
As far as the match is concerned, the Indian cricket team has won against South Africa in the first of three test matches being played at SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion.
The Indian side won the toss and elected to bat first. The choice was vindicated by the opening batsmen KL Rahul (123) and Mayank Agarwal (60), who put on a 117-run partnership for the first wicket. The Indian team finished the first day with a score of 272/3, but the South African bowlers came back on the second day and bowled out the Indian team for 327 runs.
On the other hand, the host team, South Africa, got off to a terrible start in their first innings, losing their skipper Dean Elgar (1). Only Temba Bavuma (52) and Quinton de Kock (34) managed to hold off the Indian spinners before the South African squad was dismissed for 197 runs. In the second innings South Africa got all out for 191, and India won their first test of series by 113 runs.
Do you believe South Africa will be able to make a comeback in this test match, or do you believe India will win?