Watch: Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri's message from Sri Lanka on India's Independence Day
Pallekele: Team India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday hoisted the Indian national flag in Kandy on the occasion of the country’s 70th Independence Day. The entire Indian squad, along with the supports staff and coaches were present during the flag hoisting ceremony, which was followed by the national anthem.
#TeamIndia gathered at Kandy to hoist the tri-colour on the occasion of Independence Day #IndependenceDayIndia https://t.co/SyRLmE4Let
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 15, 2017
Kohli spoke on the importance of the Independence Day in the country.
“Independence Day, obviously, is the most important day in the history of our country, any country if you ask anyone. But especially in India in the way it is always celebrated. So much happening around it”.
He also added what the auspicious occasion meant to him personally. “It holds a lot of significance and for me it is even more special because it was my father’s birthday on the same day so it used to be all the more special to be able to celebrate both the occasions together.
"So, I have a lot of fond memories of the Independence Day. It is a day when all Indians, including myself, feel a lot of pride of what we have achieved as a nation since that very day in 1947 and where we stand today. It makes us very proud,” the 28-year-old said.
Independence Day Special feat. Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli https://t.co/OGWVBVbTbp #BCCI #IndependenceDayIndia #TeamIndia
— DC Sports (@_DCSports) August 15, 2017
Some of the Indian cricketers also joined in wishing the nation a happy Independence Day.
Happy Independence day every1. I feel extremely blessed & honoured to represent my country at the global stage. Jai hindðŸ™ðŸ™ #ProudIndian pic.twitter.com/5XVYcak9Cf
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) August 15, 2017
Happy independence day to all pic.twitter.com/Hz3NKvZf2P
— Mohammed Shami (@MdShami11) August 15, 2017
7ï¸âƒ£0ï¸âƒ£ years of freedom! 🇮🇳#HappyIndependenceDay pic.twitter.com/B8J6S67Cr6
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) August 15, 2017
Virat Kohli and co are currently in Sri Lanka, where they have just sealed the Test series 3-0 after an innings win against the Islanders on Monday.
The series was completely dominated by the Men in Blue, thanks to a consistent performance by the top order batsman, including Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane who snapped up centuries during the series. Hardik Pandya, too, had a debut series to celebrate, as he clinched his debut half century, as well as his debut ton during the course of the series.
The Men in Blue will now head to Dambulla where they will play the first of the five ODIs against the hosts on August 20. While the ODI series conclude on September 3, the one-off T20 between the two sides will be played on September 6.
