Fans in Raipur welcome Virat Kohli with massive wall painting ahead of 2nd ODI against New Zealand

Team India continued their perfect start to the new calendar year in the 50-over format as they beat New Zealand by 12 runs in the first ODI on Wednesday, January 18. Opener Shubman Gill was the star of the show for the Men in Blue as he smashed a stellar century to almost single-handedly take the team to 349/8. Mohammed Siraj led the way in the bowling department once again, scalping four wickets in his hometown.

Now, the Men in Blue will take on Tom Latham-led side in the second ODI on January 21. Ahead of the intriguing contest, the Indian team arrived in Raipur on Thursday. They were given a warm welcome at the Raipur airport as well as at their team hotel.

However, it was a welcome special painting of Virat Kohli that caught everyone’s attention. In the photo, shared on Twitter, fans have painted an entire wall with an image of India's star batter. The painting features Kohli probably celebrating a century with his hands spread as he looks up. "Kohli has the streets, King of World Cricket,” read the caption posted with the picture.

Kohli has the streets, King of world cricket. pic.twitter.com/WbcH2UG46i

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 19, 2023

Virat Kohli will look to make a comeback in the 2^nd ODI

Meanwhile, Kohli came into the game on the back of a Player of the Series performance against Sri Lanka. The No. 3 batter had hammered two hundreds in three games, including a spectacular 166* only three days ago. But in his first outing of the series against New Zealand, he was beaten all ends up.

How Kohli would handle Santner was a major talking point even before the game, and the batter failed to step up to the task. He camped on the back foot to a delivery he should've pressed forward to counter, getting beaten on the outside edge and having his stumps disturbed. The 34-year-old walked back for just eight runs.

Kohli has been dismissed in this very fashion far too often over the last few years. He really needs to sort out his game against spin, which has deteriorated majorly. That doesn't bode well for Team India, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy looming large.