New Delhi, India

Indian batting great Virat Kohli is the most recognisable cricketer worldwide, with his popularity breaking barriers across borders. Currently in the USA for the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup, Kohli is not only praised and worshipped by billions in his country but looked up to as a cult figure in Pakistan also, with former captain Rashid Latif admitting that Virat's popularity in his country is at par with the late Hindi cinema veteran Dilip Kumar and star celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

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Considering social media’s rise in the past decade, Virat’s popularity on top applications like Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) has gone off the roof, with more than 380 million followers combined on these three platforms.

Outside of these numbers, the legacy he carved with unparalleled numbers and unmatched success as a batter is grander than one thinks.

Amid India gearing up to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in the marquee T20 World Cup clash in New York, two former Pakistan captains, Azhar Ali and Latif, explain Virat’s craze across the border. 

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In an exclusive chat with the Indian Express, Latif said despite several differences on countless grounds, Pakistani fans love Virat Kohli like anything. 

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“It’s not like that Virat is the first one with such a big fan base in Pakistan,” Latif said. 

“If you go back, Dilip Kumar had a massive fan following in Pakistan. Sunil Gavaskar became a cult in Pakistan. Young batsmen were told to copy Gavaskar Saab’s technique. Then Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Angry Young Man’ movies used to get sold out. Then came Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, MS Dhoni. When Dhoni came here his long locks became a trend.

“But Virat’s popularity in Pakistan is on par with Dilip Saab, Mr Bachchan and Shah Rukh. Like in India, you guys loved our bowlers – Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar became household names. Here in Pakistan, we adored Gavaskar Saab, Tendulkar, then Dhoni and now Kohli – they are all icons. Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag too have a good fan following in Pakistan,” Latif added.

Virat led a fitness revolution

Although Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni are considered two great Indian captains who changed their cricket for good, Azhar Ali said how Virat led the fitness revolution among the Asian fraternity is fantastic.  

“First and foremost, he has changed Indian cricket. You can debate that Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni have also played a role. But when it comes to fitness, there is no one like Virat Kohli. He has led by example. He is a role model to all the youths.

“Now, in our part of the world, we have someone who is the most fit athlete. Earlier, we used to give examples of athletes from the West. Now Virat has set that bar. The Pakistani youths are fascinated by the sacrifices he has made. You see his interviews where he is talking about how he quit having his favourite food (Chole Bhature) for cricket,” Azhar continued.