New Delhi, India

On Tuesday evening (Dec 12), former Indian captain Virat Kohli broke the internet with a post shared on his Instagram story. Kohli shared a story where he revealed having 'mock chicken tikka', leaving fans bemused. It is to be noted that Kohli turned vegetarian few years ago and relies only on vegan sources on a daily basis. He revealed that he quit non-vegetarian sources to add to his inspiring fitness level and it has helped him further. Thus, when he posted having mock chicken tikka on Tuesday evening, it left a large section of his fans shellshocked. 

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Here is the post from Kohli which broke the internet:

Virat Kohli mock chicken tikka

However, there is a catch. Notably, the mock chicken tikka is not animal-based, but plant-based. Hence, it remains a vegetarian dish. 

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What is 'Mock Chicken Tikka'?

Unlike the usual 'Chicken Tikka', the mock version of the dish is not made from chicken. Rather, soy is used in place of chicken. In recent times, many vegetarian versions of chicken and meat items have come into the picture, mostly made of soy.  The flavours and texture of the food item often lead to confusion among people who fail to differentiate between the two dishes. Nonetheless, it remains a vegetarian item made of soy. 

Also read: From Virat Kohli to Kumar Sangakkara: Top 5 batters with most runs in ODI & T20 World Cups

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Why did Virat Kohli turn vegetarian?

Back in 2020, Kohli explained why he turned vegetarian. During an Instagram Live session, he opined, "Left eating meat just before the England Test series. In 2018, when we went to South Africa, I had a cervical spine issue while playing a test match. It compressed a nerve that was running straight to the little finger of my right hand. It gave me a tingling sensation and I could barely feel my little finger. I could not sleep at night and it was hurting like mad."

"Then I got my tests done and my stomach was too acidic and my body was too acidic, creating too much uric acid. Even though I was taking calcium and magnesium, everything but one tablet was not sufficient for my body to function properly. So, my stomach started pulling calcium from my bones and my bones got weaker. That is why I stopped eating meat completely in the middle of England tour to cut down the uric acid and I have never felt better in my life, to be honest," he further mentioned.

"I felt amazing, it is almost two years now and it is the best decision I have taken... it made me feel why I didn't do it before," Kohli added.

At present, Kohli is gearing up for India's upcoming two-match Test series in South Africa, which gets underway on Dec 26. India's white-ball teams are currently playing three T20Is in the African nation, which will be followed by an equal number of ODIs before the focus shifts to Tests. 

Kohli was last seen on the 22-yard cricket strip during India's 2023 ODI World Cup final loss to Australia in Ahmedabad on Nov 19. He ended the tournament as the highest run-getter (765 - most by any in a single edition).