15 November,2023 09:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Sachin Tendulkar and former English footballer David Beckham at Wankhede yesterday. Pic/PTI
India's Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer emerged the star performers after scoring 117 and 105 respectively against New Zealand in the semi-final clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. However, the talking point at the ground was legendary footballer and former England captain David Beckham.
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The Manchester United and Real Madrid legend, invited for this semi-final as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador along with Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, was seen hobnobbing with celebrities from the Hindi film industry besides BCCI big-wigs and Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj among others.
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Golden Balls Beckham, a nickname given to him by his Spice Girl wife Victoria, even kicked a football, thanks to Kohli, who played the ball to him during the Indian team's warm-up session at the innings break. The former free-kick specialist promptly kicked the ball back to Kohli as the crowd cheered. Later, Beckham keenly followed the Indian innings and even applauded when Kohli and Iyer reached their respective centuries.
Interestingly, Beckham also spent some time with Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officials and displayed keen interest in learning more about the iconic Wankhede Stadium. "It's a great thing for us that legendary footballer David Beckham visited the Wankhede Stadium today [Wednesday]. He enjoyed the game with us from the President's Box. He was keen to know more about the Wankhede Stadium's rich history," MCA secretary Ajinkya Naik told mid-day.