FIT FOR A KING

Two former Indian batsmen highlight Kohli's amazing drive and physical prowess that made him a marketeer's dream

In 2021 Virat Kohli became the first cricketer to make it on to the Forbes list of highest paid sportsmen in the world. With estimated annual earnings of around $30m that year (unofficially probably double that) he sat at no59 in the Forbes list, slightly below Novak Djokovic, slightly above Jordan Spieth. European footballers and American basketball and NFL players dominated the list, but Kohli had climbed from 85^th to 59^th as his fame and influence grew. He was still a long way, however, from the man he idolises the most - Christiano Ronaldo (no3, annual earnings $120m.)

Kohli is the first cricketer to be an actual ‘brand.’ Because of his enormous social media following - 270 million on Instagram, for instance, more than the Indian prime minister or any international sports stars other than Ronaldo and Messi - he has incredible power and influence. One slickly-produced reel can sell 10,000 pairs of trainers which is why he charges an average $700,000 per post to corporate sponsors. The impressive thing is he has never abused that power by trying to wield political, social or religious arguments.

He has invested his passion in self-improvement. Deep Dasgupta, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter who retired aroudn the time Kohli arrived, puts it succinctly on the latest Analyst podcast:

“If you look at the subcontinent, not just India, it's always been about skill. It has always been about being technically correct. And ⁓ out comes Virat, who I always say he's a self-made genius. Obviously he's got a lot natural talent But then what he's done really, really well and why he's such a great role model is because he's made sure that he maximizes whatever natural gift that he was given and take it to the next level.

“In 2012, he got dropped. And one of the reasons was because he was getting really good looking 20s and 30s and not converting them. And then he quickly realized for him to convert those things, he's not a boundary hitter, six hitter. His game is very different. His game is about running hard, grafting. And that's when he became committed to fitness. He said I'm not a guy who's going to get a hundred off 90 deliveries. I'm a guy who would get 100 off 120, 125 deliveries. What do I need to do? I need to run harder. I need to convert those ones into twos. I need to stay out there for longer. And that commitment that he's shown since has been so, so good.”

Another former keeper-batter, Dinesh Kartik, now another astute commentator, shared a dressing room with Kohli 60 times. “His hunger to succeed is incredible,” he said. “He hasn’t changed much in his batting from the U/19 days. Simple movements are still the same. When he had the occasional slump he was able to bounce back very quickly because his core game hasn’t changed. He was very determined to erase the memory of his problems against James Anderson in 2014 so when he came to England in 2018 he batted out of his crease and the thing he didn’t want to do was get out nicking off. He wanted to know exactly where his off-stump was and he conquered the ability to play an 86mph bowler standing outside the crease.”

“He follows his fitness regimen and his diet to a T. He used to have a sweet tooth, but now he doesn’t touch an aerated drink, or any fatty food, he does exactly what is needed to be a supreme athlete. He saw how Ronaldo pushed himself on the field when others are a bit tired and he’s taken a leaf out of that book.”

His talents go beyond cricket too. “He sings very beautifully, he dances as well as anybody, he picks up things very fast,” adds Kartik. “For all his endorsements he does things that proper actors do – reciting lines, doing close-up shots.” With his run-making and his dramatic inclinations he is the dream combination of sport and Bollywood.

So it’s his smooth, uncomplicated skills, his total ambition, his clear focus and the fitness and abstinence of an Olympic athlete that drove him to these heights of performance. Not only did it combine to make India a far more competitive team that has, for instance, twice won series in Australia in recent years, but he has had an even more beneficial effect on the health and fitness of a nation. He is the no1 pin-up for the gym-adoring new Indian middle-class (which has swelled from 50 million to 500 million in 20 years.) The smart health club he is a member of in Notting Hill since buying a house in London will be queueing out the door when word gets round.

Kohli was never as dominant as Viv Richards, or as dashing as Brian Lara. He didn’t dissect attacks like Sachin Tendulkar. But he played with a passion and panache that was equally compelling and prolific. His Test retirement beings to an end an uninterrupted line of great Indian batters from Gavaskar through Tendulkar and Dravid to Kohli. But who will pick up the bat(on)? (Or should that be clapperboard?)

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