The Indian captain, Virat Kohli is currently one of the most popular athletes in the world and for good reason. He works hard and deserves every single plaudit that comes his way. Since his debut, he has made many improvements to his game and himself, and here are the top 5:
Fitness reinvention:
Probably the most dramatic of Kohli’s changes has to be his fitness. Back in 2011/12, he was a good player but was still chubby and not the fittest around. Fast forward to two years later and a new, fitter, leaner Kohli began taking over the world of cricket.
Virat Kohli has confessed to going through some hard times as he is a big foodie and to make that change consciously has been quite a hard task that he has mastered.
Clearer speaker:
The younger Virat Kohli was known to be a brash, arrogant chap from Delhi who would come across as eloquent, but not very smart in his interviews. Kohli has changed that aspect of himself too and it is a treat to hear him speak.
He has matured a lot over the past four years and has become a deeper thinker of the game, which comes across very well in his crisp interviews for the team.
Batting king:
Earlier, Virat Kohli was known to throw away good starts but all that seems to have changed off late. Now, when Kohli is settled, he is one of the most dangerous players in world cricket and can rip apart any opposition if he wants.
His batting too, has gotten powerful and his range of strokes, aplenty. He can clear the boundaries with ease these days and that is just an extension of his fitness.
Respect for the opposition:
Though Virat Kohli is still as aggressive as ever on the field, off it, he has become so much more respectful and humble. Even after a lot of feisty matches, Kohli is the first to acknowledge that the opposition were better and has no qualms in admitting to it.
The Australian series last year was a very controversial one with Kohli in the centre of it all, and he did say that a few friends had turned into foes. However, he never held back from praising Smith’s boys or even the Pakistani team when they beat us against the odds.
Smart sponsor picker:
Virat Kohli revealed recently in an interview that he would review the sponsors who he represents as he does not want to mislead the youth into believing he uses all the products he endorses. This means that he might not endorse one of the biggest soft drink brands in the world.
Kohli has become an ethical person off late and he is managing the responsibility very well. He does not let captaincy affect his batting or personality and this is one of the biggest wins he has had in his career and life.
6) Role model
In the last couple of years, Virat Kohli has spoken very boldly on social issues related to India, through his tweets. From standing up to online abuse to raising voice against parenting torture on kids, Virat Kohli has emerged as a role model for the young kids in India.
By Rohit Nair
