• Virat Kohli’s 50th ODI century leads to Biryani frenzy: Chaos ensues in UP's Bahraich

    OffBeat
    Virat Kohli’s 50th ODI century leads to Biryani frenzy: Chaos ensues in UP's Bahraich
    The country broke out in cheers when India emerged victorious, especially after Virat Kohli scored his 50th ODI century...

    Digital Desk: Following the 2023 World Cup semifinal match between India and New Zealand, the fervor and enthusiasm surrounding cricket in India reached unprecedented heights. 

    The country broke out in cheers when India emerged victorious, especially after Virat Kohli scored his 50th ODI century during the game. But the celebrations went beyond the cricket ground and into a Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, eatery, resulting in unanticipated chaos.

    Before the game, a popular local restaurant called "Lucknowi Rasoi" made a tempting offer: a discount on their trademark biryani that matched the number of runs that Virat Kohli achieved. Customers would receive biryani at a discount equal to the number of runs scored if Kohli reached a century. They had no idea how bad the storm would be.

    Shoaib, the owner of the restaurant, kept his word and started giving out free biryani to customers when Kohli achieved his 50th century. People from all across Bahraich flocked to "Lucknowi Rasoi" as word of the kind offer went viral. The unexpected surge of eager customers created a frenzy that erupted into the streets, obstructing traffic and drawing a crowd that overflowed the restaurant.


    Police had to intervene to control the surging crowd as the situation became out of hand. The thrill and expectation of free biryani remained despite their best attempts. The restaurant was forced to briefly close its doors in an attempt to control the chaos that had ensued.

    The director of "Lucknowi Rasoi," Shoaib, recognized his amazement at the tremendous reaction, saying that although they fulfilled their pledge to provide free biryani, it was challenging to handle a sudden number of customers. The restaurant, which was ideally situated near the bus stop for the highways, unintentionally became the hub of a biryani-seeking throng.

    The excitement was heightened by Virat Kohli's incredible achievement of breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries. Tendulkar's praise of Kohli's accomplishment as the cherry on top heightened the celebration of the milestone.

    The occurrence in Bahraich, despite the chaos that followed, is a tribute to the utter passion and intensity that cricket provokes in India; it transcends the borders of the field and becomes part of daily life. In honor of Kohli's centennial, the promise of free biryani turned an ordinary offer into an amazing and memorable display of celebration—even if it necessitated the intervention of local officials to restore order.