New Delhi: Virat Kohli’s craze in the United States has reached beyond limits as a life-sized statue of the Indian cricketing icon has been installed at the iconic Times Square in New York. The statue of Kohli also comes with the significance of the game’s marketing in the region which has largely been dominated by American sports. The former India captain is one of the most popular athletes in the world and has been ruling the cricketing world for more than a decade.
Such has been Kohli’s popularity that even he played a key role in cricket’s inclusion at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. However, for the unknown, Kohli’s statue is a part of a marketing campaign by one of the mattress companies that he is a brand ambassador off.
Virat Kohli’s statue at Times Square, New York #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/7j1kF4G29v
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) June 24, 2024
Kohli played in the United States earlier this month during India’s group stage matches. USA is co-hosting the ongoing T20 World Cup alongside West Indies. This is also the first time an ICC event is being hosted by America.
However, Kohli’s didn’t fare well as his fans in the United States would have likes. In three games, Kohli managed just five runs, thus disappointing the Indian fans who shelled lot of money on high-price tickets just to watch their cricketing icon. He scored just one run against Ireland before managing four against Pakistan. Kohli was out for a golden duck against USA.
In the Super 8 stages, Kohli got the starts but failed to make it big against Bangladesh (24) and Afghanistan (37). The right-hander still has a chance against Australia when both the teams clash in a crucial match on Monday at St Lucia.
To make matters worse, St Lucia has been experiencing rainfall since yesterday and it is highly likely that the India vs Australia is under a rain threat.
