New Delhi: There’s no one even remotely comparable to Virat Kohli’s global appeal. His enormous popularity played a big part in cricket securing a vote for a reinstatement into the Olympics for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Throughout his career, the 35-year-old has dominated all forms of the game to become a modern-day legend, inching ever closer to Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record books, and collected admiration from fans across the globe, including Pakistan.
On Sunday, another video of a Pakistan fan waving an Indian team jersey with the name of Virat Kohli went viral on social media. This act drew more attention than usual since it happened during the match between Stallions and Markhors, in which Pakistan captain Babar Azam was also playing.
A Fan waving kohli’s Jersey in Babar Azam’s Home ground in Faisalabad. pic.twitter.com/fElFitdUfX
— Utkarsh (@toxifyxe) September 15, 2024
This is the second time Virat Kohli’s followers successfully managed to bring him to end the deadlock, and this time also, it was Pakistan. A poster was waved during a PSL match in the country in 2022 which reads: “I want to see your century in Pakistan #Peace”. Recently, a Pakistani cricket fan attracted attention for showing off a pendant of Kohli during the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in New York.
The former India captain is currently in Chennai for a BCCI training camp ahead of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The series opener is slated for Thursday at Chepauk Stadium, and the second Test will take place next week at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.
This will be Kohli’s first Test appearance since January 3, during the tour of South Africa, and his first at home in 2024, having missed the England series in February-March due to the birth of his second child.
India aims to solidify their top position in the World Test Championship points table against Bangladesh and maintain their unbeaten record at home. A clean sweep in this series would bring India closer to qualifying for the WTC final for the third consecutive time, as they have never lost a Test match against Bangladesh and haven’t faced a home-series defeat since 2012.
