When it comes to selecting the favorite sportsperson in India, both Bollywood actors and actresses go with the former Indian captain, Virat Kohli, who has achieved recognition around the globe with some of his remarkable achievements with the bat and even when he was the leader of the Blue Brigade.
The young cricketers and the formers have also praised the Delhi-born on many occasions for his hunger and dedication to the game. Since starting his international career in 2008, Virat Kohli has set a different benchmark with the bat, especially in the 50-over format of the game.
The 35-year-old stands at the second position in the list of most runs for India in the 50-over formats with 13906 runs in 283 innings at an average of 58.18 and a strike rate of over 90 with the help of 50 centuries, the most in the format across the globe, and 72 half-centuries with a best score of 183 runs.
Ananya Pandey calls Virat Kohli her favorite sportsperson of all-time
The renowned Bollywood actress and the daughter of Chunky Pandey, Ananya Pandey, has addressed Virat Kohli as her favorite sportsperson currently. In an interview with Sports Tak, promoting her new dram, ‘Call Me Bae’, the 25-year-old was asked a question to which she responded with the name of the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain from the IPL.
Also Read: Not Steve Smith!! Tim Paine Wants This Batter To Open In BGT 2024-25
When it comes to the shortest format of the game, the right-handed batter finished as the second top run-getter with 4188 runs in 125 games at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04 with the help of 38 half-centuries and one century, as he also won the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States of America (USA).
“This was my last T20 World Cup. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel like you can’t get a run, and this happens, God is great. Just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India.” Virat Kohli expressed at the end of the final, where he won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his match-winning knock of 76 runs in 59 balls, shouldering one six boundary, and a couple of sixes at a strike rate of nearly 130.
“We wanted to lift that cup. This was an open secret. Not something that I wasn’t going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward.” The veteran batter remarked, finishing as the highest run-getter of the T20 World Cups with 1292 runs in 33 innings at an average of 58.72 and a strike rate of 128.81 with the help of 15 half-centuries.
When it comes to the longest format of the game, Virat Kohli is the fourth-highest run-getter for the Blue Brigade with 8848 runs in 114 games at an average of 49.15 with the help of 29 centuries and 30 half-centuries, thanks to his best score of unbeaten 254-runs.
Also Read: Piyush Chawla Picks All-Time IPL 11; Leaves Out Hardik Pandya
Even with his leadership abilities, he has changed the mindset of Indian cricket, as they now have focused on the importance of fast bowlers. Under him, the national side earned their very first red-ball series win in Australia during the 2018/19 summer.
Virat Kohli finishes as the sixth most successful captain in the five-day format with 40 victories in 68 games at a winning rate of 58.82%, having lost only 17 games and drawing 11 encounters.