Ian Bell's son Joseph celebrated his eighth birthday on Thursday (November 14), and he indeed got a special gift. Three of the biggest names in World Cricket – Virat Kohli, Ab de Villiers and Ben Stokes – wished Junior Bell 'Happy Birthday' and the child's reaction was nothing but priceless. Ian Bell – who retired from all forms of cricket earlier this year – shared a video of his son looking completely dazzled while listening to his birthday messages from the three modern-day greats. Well, it's quite evident that Joseph – who himself is a budding cricketer – is a big fan of the three greats as Ian thanked Kohli, De Villiers and Stokes for making his child's birthday' incredible.' AB de Villiers Becomes Father for Third Time, Shares Picture of Newborn Daughter Yente de Villiers.

"When cricket is life.... What a very lucky lucky boy Joseph is! Huge thanks to these absolute legends for making one incredibly happy little boy on his lockdown birthday. @imVkohli @ABdeVilliers17@benstokes38," tweeted Bell while sharing a clip of his son reacting to the special birthday messages. Although Joseph was enthralled by greetings of all the three cricket stars, he seemed to like Ben Stokes the most as he was left mouth open after listening to the all-rounder's message. Ian Bell Announces Cricket Retirement: Twitterati Congratulates Former England Batsman for Great Career.

Here's How Joseph Reacted To Special Birthday Greetings!!

Earlier this year in July, Joseph – following his father's footstep – played his first professional match. Although the eight-year indeed looks an ardent lover of the game, replicating his father's success will take some beating. In a career spanning more than a decade, Ian scored 7727 runs in 118 Test matches alongside 5416 runs in 160 ODIs.

Ian Bell's Pride Dad Moment!!

Meanwhile, Kohli, Stokes and De Villiers were last seen in the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 which concluded on November 10. While Kohli and Stokes are set to resume national duties, the former South Africa captain – who pulled out of Big Bash League (BBL) 2020 is enjoying a gala family time.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 20, 2020 10:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).