The Man! The Myth! The Cricket Legend: Virat Kohli

More than a cricketer, he has been an emotion, a love, and an inspiration for all the cricket fans! 

People who know me know the kind of crazy fan I am, right from posing with his wax statue to fighting with people when they were against him. I have been a die-hard fan of the legend. I don’t remember the exact day I became a fan of Virat Kohli. All I know is that one day in 2008, a young, fierce-eyed boy walked out to bat for India, and somehow, at that moment, something inside me just clicked.

Over the years, I’ve done things only a true fangirl or a fanboy (yes, boys drool over him, too) would understand. I binge-watched old Kohli innings on YouTube late at night, rewatched that Adelaide 2014 masterclass as if it were a movie, refreshed my Instagram feed every second during his Test centuries, spammed my Insta feed and stories with his pictures, and cried when he got married. Umm.. sounds cliche, but I did dream of marrying him (No offense, Anushka, I love you too).

I’ve screamed in joy every time he pulled off an impossible chase, and I’ve broken down in tears after every heartbreak, like that 2019 World Cup semi-final. I have partied when he scored a hundred, and I’ve spent entire days sulking when he fell early. He has no idea who I am, but he’s been one of the most important people in my life.

I wasn’t a Test cricket fan. I’ll admit that. But then Virat happened. Watching him bat in whites felt like watching poetry being written with a sword. His passion for the red-ball format made me fall in love with the longest format of the game. Because of him, I sat through five-day games with the same excitement as a T20 final.

He made Test cricket cool again — bold again — aggressive again.

To list Virat’s achievements feels almost redundant, not because they’re not worth celebrating, but because they’re already etched in history. Listing some of them down here:

• Over 8,500 Test runs at an average of 49
• 29 Test centuries, including iconic knocks in Australia, England, and South Africa
• Led India to 36 Test wins as captain, the most for any Indian captain
• Took India to the number 1 Test ranking for five consecutive years
• First Asian captain to win a Test series in Australia (2018–19)
• The man who redefined fitness in Indian cricket
• And perhaps the face of modern Indian Test cricket
• The man who inspired Olympic cricket (yet to come)

But if I had to define Virat Kohli, I wouldn’t start with stats. I would start with emotion. Fire. Belief. He’s not just a cricketer; he’s an experience. He’s a walking storm with a bat in hand and a roar in his heart. He’s the guy who taught me that it’s okay to wear your heart on your sleeve. That it’s okay to fight hard, show passion, take pride in discipline, and bounce back from failure like a lion.

There were days in my life when I felt like giving up, whether in college, at work, or during tough personal times. And all I had to do was watch a Virat Kohli innings to feel alive again. His hunger, his grit, his never-die attitude, they became lessons. From him, I learned what resilience looks like. What leadership without fear looks like. What it means to rise after being written off.

He made me believe that if you work hard, if you back yourself, the world has to notice.

And then there’s RCB — Oh, my heart. Being a fangirl of both Kohli and RCB is not for the faint-hearted. But no matter how the season went, I always tuned in for that one reason: Virat. The way he carries the RCB jersey with pride, even without a trophy, is what loyalty means to me. We’ve all heard him scream, “Ee sala cup namde,” but for us fans, every moment he stepped on the field was already a win.

(Not that I would not support RCB later. Once an RCB fan, forever an RCB fan)

Now that he’s retired from Test cricket, I won’t lie; it hurts. It is heartbreaking. It is like all those childhood memories, the excitement, the aggression, coming to a pause! An entire era just closed, and a huge part of my own journey feels like it’s ending, too. But at the same time, my heart is full of gratitude.

Gratitude for the memories, the goosebumps, the tears, the passion, and the pride.

Virat Kohli — thank you for everything. Thank you for being my inspiration, my escape, my role model, and my Love. Thank you for giving your soul to this game, for making us believe, for fighting every battle like a warrior, and for carrying Indian cricket on your shoulders for over a decade.

You will always be my captain. Always.

Wishing you all the love and strength for whatever comes next. Because whether in whites, blues, or reds, you’ll forever be my King.

With all the love in the world,

A proud fangirl since 2008

Forever RCB

Forever Virat

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