‘Kohli jaisa koi nahi’ – Fans react as Virat Kohli becomes third most popular sportsperson in 2023; Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi take 1st and 2nd place
Virat Kohli, the maestro of modern-day cricket, continues to add more fans to an already cluttered list not only limited to the cricketing world but also beyond it with his unparalleled prowess and unwavering commitment to excellence.
Virat Kohli is not only a cult figure for cricket fans but also has made the game famous beyond cricket-playing nations which is one of the biggest achievements. The mention of the role of Virat Kohli’s popularity in the inclusion of Cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics by the sports director of the Los Angeles 2023 Organizing Committee testifies to what Virat did in making Cricket a worldwide game.
Virat Kohli’s popularity is fueled by India’s rise in Cricket
Cricket as a sport has certain limitations in terms of awareness and accessibility which makes it an inclusive sport. That is why it’s prominence mostly in Commonwealth countries and in that, too only three four countries are as such where it is the most followed sport.
But despite all of this it is the second-most popular sport in terms of viewership mainly because of its popularity in South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Especially India is such a big market with a huge growing economy, that it is driving the cricketing world.
Virat Kohli is like a demi-god in these countries all because of his cricketing prowess. According to a recent report by Hooper HQ, Virat Kohli is the third-most popular sportsperson in the world just behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Although Virat Kohli is half as much popular as Ronaldo given the limited audience of Cricket and the limited number of countries that play the sport, it is quite a big achievement that makes him a living legend of the game.
It won’t be wrong to say that if Sachin Tendulkar, another cricketing great of the previous era made Cricket popular in India, Virat Kohli would be the cricketer who took the popularity of the sport internationally and made a mark for himself in the global sporting sphere.
The recent reports created a buzz on social media and got Virat Kohli’s fans going. Here are some of the tweets from the social media platform X:
https://twitter.com/RUOKOFFICIAL1/status/1740944598489600312
Face of World Cricket..
King Kohli 👑 pic.twitter.com/7kKVohd4eh
— Extraa Cover (@ExtraaaCover) December 30, 2023
https://twitter.com/vkkings077/status/1740941038615961909
Virat Kohli in 2023:
– 72.47 Average in ODIs.
– 55.91 Average in Tests.
– 53.60 Average in T20.One of the Greatest comeback ever. 🐐
— HAFEEZ KHAN (@HAFEEZK51158740) December 30, 2023
Face of world Cricket for a reason pic.twitter.com/hsNgxgcf87
— Sameer K. (@Sameer_knl18) December 30, 2023
King Kohli compete with Football superstar 🔥💪
— Ankit (@Cric_RCB) December 30, 2023
Cristiano Rolando and Virat kohli Two 2⃣ Greatest Sportsperson ❤❤❤
— Ajay Gautam (@gautam_ajay007) December 30, 2023
GOAT of Cricket and these rankings are describing it. pic.twitter.com/Ur5ikcAHUw
— Simple man (@ArbazAh87590755) December 30, 2023
