Bipin Dani
In the recent Asia Cup match between India and Bangladesh in Sri Lanka, former India captain ViratKohli acted as a “water boy” and his act left his fans amused.
Virat was rested in the match, however, his presence on the field, though for a short period of time, carrying a can of bottles for the side, left his fans in splits. His presence as a waterboy on the sidelines was a testament to his commitment to the team’s success and his willingness to support his fellow players.
As the internet got glimpses of Kohli running on the field in a comical way with water bottles for his teammates, memes started pouring in. X (formerly Twitter) buzzed with posts terming Kohli as the ‘richest waterboy’ ever.
Broadcasters were still focussing on Kohli, though Shardul Thakur had grabbed the wicket.
This, however, was not the first instance when Kohli discharged this duty. Due to his shoulder injury, Kohli had to miss the 4th Test against Australia. But, the Test did witness a contribution from Kohli, that time, as a waterboy. Kohli was seen bringing drinks for his teammates on the field during the game.
Playing for a charity game in 2005, Sachin Tendulkar did water-man duty for Asia XI team against the ICC World XI.
Dhoni’s humility had earned him respect from fans and pundits alike when there was no surprise to see him not once, but thrice. In 2012, he was seen carrying energy drinks for the Indian batsmen during the Tri-Series featuring Australia and Sri Lanka.
The world’s greatest batsman, the late Don Bradman was seen carrying drinks for his Australian mates who were toiling hard on the field during the 2nd Test match against England in 1928.
And how cool was it that the then Prime Minister Scott Morrison came out with the drinks at the Prime Minister’s XI game in Canberra four years ago ?
India’s former umpire, VinayakKulkurni, however, was not surprised to see Kohli in this role.
“During my umpiring career, I too witnessed many senior players acting in this role as a 12th man”, he says.
“Now, the twelfth man concept is eliminated. The ICC has made it a rule to nominate five players as twelfth man and any one from this can go to the field to supply water or energy drinks to the team”.
“A term-Impact Player- is used for these five extra players”. “Unlike in international matches where five players are combinedly known as an impact player, the BCCI has restricted these numbers to four players in domestic matches”, the umpire added.
