Unique birthday tribute paid to Virat Kohli with a 20ft mural of his face

Mumbai, Nov 5 (IANS) Thousands of fans celebrated Virat Kohli's birthday here on Saturday with a unique massive mural of the iconic Indian cricketer, paying tribute to the former India captain via 5000 red cricket balls at the Carter Road Amphitheater here.

The excited fans engaged with mural artist Gurseet Singh to create a 20ft-by-20ft mural of Kohli's face in a marathon nine-hour activity that began at 8:00 am. The unique birthday tribute was arranged by the leading sportswear brand, PUMA.

"Virat Kohli is a modern-day cricket legend and has a special place in the fans' hearts. He is an inspiration to not only a legion of fans but even the professionals associated with the game. It was our endeavour to bring them all together and make it a special birthday celebration for one of the most complete batsmen of this era," said Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India and Southeast Asia.

But what made the celebration even more special, claimed a release on Saturday, was the presence of Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma.

"It looks amazing and very creative from team PUMA and I will definitely send it to Virat as well. It fills my heart with great pride to see him getting so much love," Rajkumar Sharma was quoted as saying in the release.

Several other sports personalities who were present at the event included inspirational 94-year-old sprinter Bhagwani Devi, footballer Glan Martins and Anwar Ali, cricketer Anuj Rawat and swimmer Srihari Nataraj. Bollywood actor Ishaan Khatter, a Kohli fan also joined for the day-long celebration.

On the occasion, PUMA also activated its key stores across the country with Virat Kohli-themed-engagements to let fans express their love and admiration for the cricketer.

Tattoo artists, hair stylists and face painters will be indulging fans with Kohli-inspired tattoos, haircuts with VK initials, unique face paint and more at the PUMA stores till November 12, as part of the Virat's tribute birthday celebration week, the release added.