Ross Taylor the esteemed former cricketer from New Zealand personally lauds the exceptional prowess of Virat Kohli the renowned Indian cricketer. According to Taylor Kohlis influence extends beyond cricket likening him to global sports icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Notably Kohli commands a staggering following of 269 million on Instagram.
Taylor shed light on how cricketers like as Kohli are no longer only world-class athletes, but also brand ambassadors, influencing general sporting culture. While Ronaldo and Messi have more than twice Kohli’s Instagram followers, Taylor believes the Indian cricketer’s influence is as strong.
Ross Taylor had this to say about Virat Kohli and his mania on the ‘180 Not Out’ podcast:
“Players are putting outposts endorsing products and things like that. Who would have thought of that in 2008? Someone like Kohli, who is a superstar in the world of cricket, but is also a global superstar in the world of sports. In terms of Instagram and social media, he’s up there with Ronaldo and Messi!”
Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor acknowledges the evolving challenge of maintaining privacy as cricketers navigate the complexities of the social media era. Taylor views this change positively noting that cricketers face less scrutiny compared to movie stars and other public figures creating a different dynamic in terms of public perception and evaluation.
Sanjay Manjrekar recently praised Virat Kohli for his T20 game
Sanjay Manjrekar the former Indian cricketer recently delved into the realm of Virat Kohlis strike rate critics. Following one of the IPL 2024 matches the prominent batsman playfully jabbed at pundits scrutinizing his strike rate.
However, Manjrekar feels that the pundit commentary, which many regard as ‘white noise’, has brought out the best in Kohli. Sanjay Manjrekar wrote on this in his Hindustan Times column:
“It’s worth acknowledging that Virat is not the same T20 player he was two years ago. He must know deep down, surely, that the ‘outside noise’ has actually made him a better T20 batter today than he was two years ago.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Kohli has been outspoken about using the slog sweep more frequently to thwart the spinners’ tactics, and he did it virtually flawlessly during the IPL 2024 season. India will be hoping that the Orange Cap winner can duplicate his success at the T20 World Cup, which begins next week in the West Indies and the United States.