Football legend David Beckham gifted his Real Madrid jersey to India skipper Rohit Sharma after attending the ODI World Cup 2023 semifinal at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
India defeated New Zealand by 70 runs in the first semifinal and marched towards the final. Beckham was among the other high-profile stars to attend the knockout fixture on Wednesday. He was seen sitting next to Sachin Tendulkar in the stands and also met the Indian team before the start of the match.
Taking to Facebook, Beckham shared pictures of meeting Rohit Sharma in Mumbai and wrote, "Great to meet you captain. Good luck in the final."
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In the picture, Rohit can be seen wearing Beckham's No.23 Real Madrid jersey while the England footballer wore Rohit's No.45 Indian team jersey.
Beckham, who is UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador, is in India to attend multiple events in the country. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has entered into a partnership with UNICEF to empower women and girls and promote inclusion and gender equality through cricket.
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Beckham, on the other hand, is considered as one of the best footballers of all time. He has represented England at national level and made over 100 appearances for them from 1996-2009. The midfielder also represented iconic football clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain and LA Galaxy in his decorated career. With these clubs, he has won prestigious titles like the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League titles.
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Virat Kohli's historic 50th ODI century, scoring 117, complemented by Shreyas Iyer's scintillating hundred (105 off 70 balls), propelled India to a commanding total of 397/4 in their allotted 50 overs.
However, despite Daryl Mitchell's commendable 134, Mohammed Shami's exceptional bowling performance, with figures of 7-57, proved decisive as India secured victory and advanced to the summit clash.
India will take on the winner of the second semifinal clash between South Africa and Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The Men in Blue are currently enjoying an impressive 10-match unbeaten streak and are eager to extend it to 11 by clinching the title for the third time.
(With ANI inputs)