“Watching you play has been an inspiration” - Riyan Parag shares heartfelt message for Virat Kohli on his 36th birthday

Indian cricketer Riyan Parag took to social media on Tuesday, November 5, to post a message for former captain Virat Kohli, celebrating his 36th birthday. The Delhi-born cricketer Kohli has been an inspiration to many and has done wonders for India since making his debut in 2008.

On Tuesday, as the star batter celebrated his birthday, Riyan shared a heartfelt message for Kohli. He posted on his Instagram Stories, writing:

"Happy birthday to the greatest of all time! Your passion, aggression, and unmatched work ethic have not only set the standard in cricket but have also shaped me into the player I am today. Watching you play has been an inspiration, but sharing the field with you is a memory I will carry with me forever. Thank you for being a true legend, on and off the field. Here's to many more years of greatness!"

Kohli became just the fourth Indian cricketer to surpass 9,000 Test runs in the recently concluded series against New Zealand, which the hosts lost 3-0. The ace batter will next be in action when India take on Australia in a five-match Border-Gavaskar Test series, starting November 22 in Perth.

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Riyan Parag has represented India in 10 matches across formats

The 22-year-old made his India debut in a T20I against Zimbabwe earlier this year and has since featured in nine matches, scoring 106 runs and taking four wickets. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka, where he claimed three wickets and scored 15 runs.

Meanwhile, Riyan Parag will miss the upcoming four-match T20I series against South Africa as he is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence for long-term treatment of his chronic right shoulder injury.

Here is India’s 15-member squad for the series against South Africa: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, and Yash Dayal.