'I ran a drink out too, spirit of cricket award?' - Stuart Broad mocks ICC for praising Virat Kohli

Day 1 of the highly-anticipated first Test of the four-match series between India and England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai didn’t end on a good note for the home team as the England skipper Joe Root consigned the hosts to an endless toil by smashing a scintillating 100 in his 100th Test match. Joe Root was at his fluent best throughout the day as he carried forward his jaw-dropping form from Tests against Sri Lanka and stayed unbeaten on 128 runs off 197 deliveries.

Meanwhile, even as the England skipper hogged the limelight for his stunning performance with the willow, Indian skipper Virat Kohli won hearts with his heartwarming gesture towards Root. Kohli was widely hailed by fans and veterans for his act of sportsmanship and humbleness towards his contemporary.

During the course of the game, Root found himself struggling with cramps as the constant running and batting in the hot and humid temperature of Chennai got the better of the England skipper. After smashing the Indian spinner Ravi Ashwin for a six, Root couldn’t bear the pain and fell down with cramps.

ICC lauds Virat Kohli for his sweet gesture for Joe Root

Seeing the opposition skipper in pain, Virat, who was fielding at slip, quickly reached out to Root and asked if he needed some help. After a brief chat between the two players, Kohli aided Root by holding his leg up in the air. The clip of this sweet gesture by Kohli to help Root relax a little quickly went viral on social media as many fans hailed the Indian skipper for his sportsmanship. In the post-day press conference, the English skipper also made a point to praise Kohli for his gesture.

The official Instagram handle of the International Cricket Council (ICC) also lauded Kohli by sharing a snap of the aforementioned incident with the caption, “When England captain Joe Root was struck with cramps, Virat Kohli was the first to his aid. A heartwarming Spirit of Cricket gesture.”

However, this post by apex cricket body didn’t go well with the veteran England pacer Stuart Broad as he mocked the ICC for blowing the whole matter out of proportion. The seamer took a jibe at the cricket body saying that he had carried out drinks for the players in the game so he should also be getting the Spirit of Cricket award.

Broad commented, “I ran a drink out too, spirit of cricket award?”