The drummers in the sports bar in New Delhi could have drummed a lot at all the balls that went out of bounds in the World Cup match between India and South Africa. It already sounded a bit perfunctory – a lot of runs (points) are scored in a one-day match. But at the batting of one Indian batsman the tension really rose last week. Virat Kohli had a special feat in mind: one century, the cricket term for a hundred or more runs. It would be his 49th, equaling the world record of his legendary compatriot Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli succeeded in his attempt, he made 101, and thus underlined his top form at this World Cup in his own country on his 35th birthday. The Indian team, after winning all nine matches in the first round (the Netherlands were defeated by a wide margin on Sunday, Kohli made 51 runs), is favorite for the world title.
Now the Indian team, which had a messy preparation, has slowly grown into one dream team, Kohli’s name is everywhere: on the shirts fans wear, in advertisements. Not only is he a central figure in cricket, he is a global brand in India – bigger than some Bollywood stars, including his wife, actress Anushka Sharma.
Kohli was replaced by the retired Tendulkar on X congratulations with his 49th century and his birthday: “I hope you surpass me in this tournament!”, wrote the ‘God of Cricket’. Kohli is known among fans as the ‘King’, a player who made 100 runs not an exception, but an expectation. He needed significantly fewer innings (at bats) than Tendulkar to set the record: 277 to 451.
Wild look
Comparisons between the two star players provide a nice contrast, like a journalist in the Hindustan Times describes: Tendulkar had no need for the spotlight and, as the absolute center of attention in packed cricket stadiums, found peace and protection from the idolatry that he received in his utmost concentration. No, then Kohli: he whips up the crowd and tries to influence opponents and umpires. He encourages his teammates, and anyone on the field who misses the ball gets a fierce look.
Kohli and Tendulkar played one major tournament together: in 2011 they were part of the last Indian national team to become world champions in one-day cricket. One image is unforgettable for most Indian cricket fans: the moment Kohli, then 22, played the 38-year-old ‘talisman’ Tendulkar on his shoulders during the lap of honour. Now you can say that he then took over from Tendulkar; the pressure of the nation now also rests on his shoulders.
During matches, all eyes are on Kohli, even though he is no longer captain. Fellow generation and captain Rohit Sharma seems to have accepted this division of roles. The two are often mentioned in the same breath, and they are judged together on the performance and form of the national team.
Author Rajdeep Sardesai made portraits of important cricketers in his book Democracy’s XI, The Great Indian Cricket StoryKohli as figurehead of the ‘millennial players‘. Kohli and Sharma are playing cricket at a time when the sport’s popularity is skyrocketing due to new formats, and commercial interests have also grown. The 2023 World Cup may be their last in international one-day cricket. Viewers and commentators agree that Kohli deserves the world title. The rest of the national team is urged to win the World Cup before him, to do justice to his hero status.
For those who see little in terms of his performance as a batsman, his status can also be expressed in other terms. Kohli earned according to last year Forbes 26 million dollars (more than 24.2 million euros), the majority of which came from commercial assignments and sponsorship contracts. He knows who to target: millennials. His social media accounts are full of advertisements, for sports brands, betting sites and nutritional supplements, and clips of Kohli’s media appearances in Hindi or English.
Lookalikes
His flamboyant personality on the field also counts off it: he is an icon for people in their twenties and thirties, and he has turned ‘fitness’ into a lifestyle: he looks toned, has arms full of tattoos and a carefully trimmed beard on his cheeks. In 2019, his appearance sparked a craze on TikTok – before the Chinese app was banned in India. Several lookalikes in turn amassed millions of followers.
On Instagram gain 262 million followers Kohli’s sponsorship statements on display. He makes many of the commercials together with his wife. They post selfies from luxurious holiday resorts and glamorous parties. If there is anything to criticize about him in the Indian media, often also on her: Anushka Sharma is said to be the reason Kohli failed to reach the final of the T20 World Cup, the shortest form of cricket, last year. When he posted a love emoji on his wife’s profile the day after India’s semi-final defeat to England, it sparked a storm of nasty messages.
Also prior to this World Cup, a joint action by the couple rubbed the Indian public the wrong way. Kohli and Sharma friends shouted “not to see us as connections to get tickets for the World Cup. Watch the matches differently from your own living room, please”. According to many followers, that message ignored the fact that tickets would only be available ‘with connections’, and that for many ordinary Indians the prices for the World Cup were unaffordable.
The king of Indian cricket must be careful not to be seen as too arrogant or narcissistic. But his position as the most iconic Indian cricketer is no longer in doubt. New Zealand awaits in the semi-finals on Wednesday. In that match, Kohli can become the third Indian cricketer, after Tendulkar and Sharma, to cross the 600-run mark in a single World Cup. A fiftieth century is not even necessary: Kohli is now the top scorer with 594 runs.
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