#HappyBirthdayVirat: Virender Sehwag's epic tribute to 'Chikoo', India's most important cricketer

New Delhi: Legions of cricket fans stayed awake on Friday night to wait for the clock to strike 12, and wish Virat Kohli a happy birthday.

Hours before the midnight, hashtag #HappyBirthdayVirat already became the top trend on Twitter, with thousands of posts dedicated to India's most important cricketer.

But the best message came from former India opener and de facto 'Twitter King', Virender Sehwag, who once again conjured up an epic wish.

On Kohli's 28th birthday, Sehwag wrote, "8 yrs ago we cud have dedicated this day by eating Chikoo. But tday,I think all auto/taxis shud start their Meter frm100 #HappyBirthdayVirat".

8 yrs ago we cud have dedicated this day by eating Chikoo.
But tday,I think all auto/taxis shud start their Meter frm100#HappyBirthdayVirat pic.twitter.com/SbMMfZY72P

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) November 4, 2016

Sehwag, in a brotherly fashioned addressed the India Test captain as Chikoo, a nickname which seemed to have followed Kohli right since his days as a junior player.

There are stories on how the nickname came about, but the most relatable source came from Yuvraj Singh's book 'Test of My Life'. And the celebrated all-rounder thought, it was derived from famous character 'Chikoo' in 'Champak' series.

Second part of Sehwag's message clearly indicates Kohli's ease in scoring hundreds. When some players start their international career at 28, Kohli already is a legend. He has 39 centuries – 13 in Tests, 26 in ODIs.

And he is already hailed as the greatest batsman of the game, with many claiming that Sachin Tendulkar's seemingly unbroken records will be done and dusted when Kohli hangs up his boots.