- Monday, March 10, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Ace India batter Virat Kohli, who recently slammed an international hundred at the Asia Cup after a gap of 1,020 days, has achieved another feat off the 22 yards. The 33-year-old cricketer has now 50 million followers on social media platform Twitter, making him the most followed cricketer and the third-most followed (211 million) sportsperson on Instagram after footballers Cristiano Ronaldo (450 million) and Lionel Messi (333 million).
He also has more than 49 million followers on Facebook, which takes his overall social media presence to more than 310 million people.
Kohli, who was going through a prolonged bad patch with the bat, hit back form in the Asia Cup and finished as India’s top scorer and the tournament’s second-highest run-getter with two fifties and one century. His century, his first ever in T20 internationals, came against Afghanistan in a dead rubber as India crashed out of the tournament before the finals.
It was his 71st international century which put him at par with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. Only Sachin Tendulkar with 100 international tons has scored more three-figure knocks than Kohli now.
The former India captain was under immense pressure going into the Asia Cup. He had poor form in the Indian Premier League this year and also missed a couple of international tours before returning to the India squad for the Asia Cup. Before the tournament, he had said that he did not touch his bat for a month in between, something that had not happened before in his professional career.
Dedicating his Asia Cup hundred to actor wife Anushka Sharma and baby daughter Vamika, Kohli said, “I know there was a lot of stuff going on on the outside but they really kept my perspective right and I kissed my ring in the celebrations as well. You see me standing like this right now and all the things being put in perspective have been done by one person, who stood by me through all these difficult times, that is Anushka.”
“This hundred is specially dedicated to her and our little daughter Vamika as well. When you have someone next to you, having conversations, putting the things in the right perspective like I have been and Anushka has been by my side through these times, time away from the game has taught me a lot of things.”
Kohli is now looking forward to playing a big role in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.
