When a Virat Kohli lookalike popped up in the third Test match against New Zealand

It was Day 2 session three of the third Test between India and New Zealand at Indore and the hosts were in a commanding position at 466/4. Rohit Sharma drove Mitchell Santner through the covers in the last delivery of the 149^th over and the cameras caught a man in the crowd, wearing a blue cap and wayfarers.

As they flashed the man on the big screen a big roar erupted around the stadium. It was none other than Indian captain Virat Kohli. Or was it him? By then the cameras had zoomed on him and a closer look revealed it wasn’t the Indian skipper but a lookalike. Incidentally, he was also sporting the same beard.

The fans at the stadium crowded around him to grab an opportunity to click selfies and he obliged but a few seconds later he was being pulled at. At a point, it looked like he wasn’t enjoying it much but nonetheless managed a thumbs-up and a broad grin for the cameras. Just prior to the incident which was being telecast live, the ‘real’ Virat Kohli had got out after smashing his way to a double hundred (211).

Sanjay Manjrekar, who was at the commentary box perhaps also mistook the lookalike to be Kohli and started off by saying,” It’s really great to see him go to the stand immediately after the double hundred to meet the fans. You’ve got to appreciate this. You know what. This is what makes him special.”

His co-commentator Ravi Shastri chose to hold back his words for a while and when he found it wasn’t the Indian skipper, he broke out in laughter saying,”Look at the selfies. They all think that it is Virat Kohli.”

Both commentators also agreed, the duplicate also looked like spinner Ravindra Jadeja from certain angles.“Kohli lookalike in the stands but when he puts his face up he looks like Jadeja as well,” Shastri said.

“The way he is looking. The glasses. The cap. He is very smart. He is covering both places,” stated Manjrekar.The broadcaster also got a picture of Kohli alongside the lookalike for people to compare. Later when the cameras returned to focus on the youngster in the crowd Shastri shouted out,“This is Virat. This is Virat. Oh, that’s brilliant.”

Not the first time a Kohli lookalike has popped up

This is not the first time that a Kohli lookalike has popped up. If you google Virat Kohli ‘duplicates’ you are likely to get around 10 people who exactly look like the Indian skipper. Even Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad was being compared to Kohli in the social media a few days back because of their resemblance.

Fans frequently try and copy what their idols sport. But getting close to perfection is what every fan dreams off and the youngster in the crowd should be very proud of what he has achieved so far.