“Who?” was legendary Brazillian footballer Ronaldo’s response when asked about star India cricketer Virat Kohli. Speed, the Youtuber who asked the question was visibly taken aback by Ronaldo’s response. How can someone not know Virat Kohli, who apart from being one the greatest-ever batters in modern cricket, has one of the biggest followings on social media – with 265 million followers, Kohli is the fourth-most followed sportsperson in the world.
Fans watching the video which has gone viral would have immediately thought about the time when tennis sensation Maria Sharapova had said in 2014 that she didn’t know who Sachin Tendulkar was. Even though social media was still in its initial stage of absolute dominance, #WhoIsMariaSharapova trended in India.
Ronaldo, a World Cup winner and the highest scorer of that season in 2002, would be hoping that it doesn’t reach anywhere near that stage. The chances are very slim anyway as the former Brazil forward didn’t take long to recognise Kohli when the YouTuber decided to show the former Indian captain’s photo.
Here’s how the conversation went about Kohli between Speed and Ronaldo
Speed: “Do you know Virat Kohli?” Speed asked.
Ronaldo: “Who?”
Speed: “Virat Kohli, from India.”
Ronaldo: “No.”
Speed: “You don’t know Virat Kohli!”
Ronaldo: “What is he? A player?”
Speed: “He is a cricket player.”
Ronaldo: “He is not very popular in here.”
Speed: “Yeah, yeah. he is like the best. You have never seen this dude?” (pointing to Kohli’s photo)
Ronaldo: “Yeah Yeah”
After a pretty decent outing against South Africa on very challenging batting conditions, Kohli was included in India’s T20I squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan starting Thursday in Mohali. Kohli has not played a T20I since the 2022 World Cup in Australia. But the selectors’ decision to bring him and captain Rohit Sharma back in the mix all but confirms the duo’s participation in the T20 World Cup this year in June slated to be jointly hosted by the USA and the West Indies.
Kohli, however, will not be available for the selection for the first T20I due to personal reasons, confirmed head coach Rahul Dravid on the eve of the series opener. The talismanic cricketer who is the only cricketer to score more than 4000 runs international runs in this format, will be available from the second match on Sunday.
In Kohli’s absence, Shubman Gill is slated to bat No.3 but he will have to make way for the 35-year-old when he returns. This three-match series against Afghanistan is India’s last international fixture in this format before the World Cup.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
