All eyes are on India’s ‘King’ Kohli in the Cricket World Cup

In the World Cup match between India and South Africa, the drummers at the Sports Bar in New Delhi probably did a lot of drumming for all the balls that went out of bounds. It already sounds a bit perfunctory – a lot of runs (points) are scored in a one day match. But on an Indian’s batting Batsman Tensions really escalated last week. Virat Kohli had a special achievement in mind: one century, a cricket term for a hundred or more runs. This is his 49th feat, equaling his legendary compatriot Sachin Tendulkar’s world record.

Kohli succeeded in his attempt, scoring 101 runs and underlining his best performance in this World Cup in his home country on his 35th birthday. Team India, after winning all nine matches in the first round (beating the Netherlands by a wide margin on Sunday, with Kohli scoring 51), clinched the World Championship.

The Indian team, which had a chaotic build-up, is now slowly coming together Dream team, Kohli’s name is everywhere: on shirts worn by fans, in advertisements. He is not only a central figure in cricket but also a global brand in India – bigger than some Bollywood stars, including his wife, actress Anushka Sharma.

The retired Tendulkar replaced Kohli Congratulations on X With his 49th century and his birthday: “I hope you outshine me in this match!” wrote the ‘god of cricket’. A 100-run player is no exception, Kohli, who is called ‘King’ among fans, is expected. He needed less innings (at bat) than Tendulkar to make 451 for 277.

Wild look

Comparisons between the two star players provide a nice contrast, Like a journalist Hindustan Times describes: Tendulkar didn’t need the spotlight, the entire center of attention in packed cricket stadiums, he found peace and security from his painstakingly earned idolatry. No, then Kohli: he stirs up the crowd and tries to influence the opponents and the umpires. He inspires his teammates and gets stern looks if anyone on the field misses the ball.

Kohli and Tendulkar have played one big match together: in 2011 they were part of the last Indian national team to win the World One Day Cricket Championship. One image is unforgettable for most Indian cricket fans: the then 22-year-old Kohli, batting 38, shouldering age ‘talisman’ Tendulkar on his lap of honour. Now let’s say he took over from Tendulkar; The pressure of the nation now rests on his shoulders.

Even though Kohli is not the captain, all eyes are on Kohli during the matches. Fellow generation and captain Rohit Sharma seems to have adopted this role segment. 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 has created portraits of important cricketers in his book Democracy XI, The Great Indian Cricket StoryKohli as the main leaderThousands of players‘. Kohli and Sharma play cricket at a time when the game’s popularity is rising due to new formats, commercial interests have also grown. The 2023 World Cup could be their last in international one-day cricket. Observers and commentators agree that Kohli deserves the world title. To do justice to his hero status, other players in the national team are urged to win the World Cup before him.

For those who underestimate his performance as a batsman, his status can be expressed in other terms. Kohli has earned last year Forbes 26 million dollars (over 24.2 million euros), most of which came from commercial work and sponsorship deals. He knows exactly who to target: Millennials. His social media accounts are full of advertisements for sports brands, betting sites and nutritional supplements, as well as clips of Kohli’s media appearances in Hindi or English.

identical

His flamboyant persona on the field also accounts for it: he’s an icon for those in his twenties and thirties, and he’s made ‘fitness’ a lifestyle: he’s tanned, covered in tattoos and has a carefully trimmed beard. Cheeks. In 2019, her appearance sparked a frenzy on TikTok — before the Chinese app was banned in India. Many lookalikes amassed millions of followers.

On Instagram Get 262 million followers Kohli’s sponsorship reports are on display. He produces many commercials along with his wife. They post selfies from fancy vacation resorts and glamorous parties. If there is anything to criticize about him in the Indian media, Often on her too: Anushka Sharma is said to be responsible for Kohli’s failure to reach the finals of last year’s T20 World Cup, the shortest form of cricket. When he posted a love emoji on his wife’s profile the day after India’s semi-final loss to England, it sparked a storm of bad news.

Ahead of this World Cup, the pair’s joint action rubbed the Indian public the wrong way. Kohli and Sharma friends exclaimed “We are not seen as links to get World Cup tickets. Watch matches differently from your own living room, please”. According to many followers, the message ignored the fact that tickets are available only with ‘connections’ and the World Cup prices are unaffordable for many ordinary Indians.

The king of Indian cricket has to be careful not to come across as too arrogant or narcissistic. But his status as the greatest Indian cricketer can no longer be doubted. New Zealand await in Wednesday’s semi-final. In that match, Kohli will become the third Indian cricketer after Tendulkar and Sharma to cross 600 runs in a single World Cup. Not even a fifty needed: Kohli is now the top scorer with 594 runs.