'He's up there with Ronaldo & Messi': NZ icon profoundly links Virat Kohli with global sports titans

The game of cricket has been on the rise, with one of the superstars, Virat Kohli, being a renowned personality in the sporting universe. The Indian batter shot up to fame with his impeccable skills with the bat and record-breaking abilities. Not just in terms of the game, but he has a strong social media game, and his influence has been dominating throughout the globe. Virat will be one of the top stars in the T20 World Cup, and a lot of attention will be on him. One of the cricketing greats recently compared him to two of the global sporting titans, saying that he is in the big leagues with them in terms of social media influence.

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Ex-NZ star compares Virat Kohli with the sports' top personalities, Ronaldo and Messi

Former New Zealand cricket Ross Taylor, during his appearance on the 180 Not Out Podcast, said that Virat Kohli is a true giant in not just cricket but the entire sporting realm. He also compared him with the likes of the superstar footballers, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi, in terms of influence in social media.

"Players are putting outposts endorsing products and things like that. Who would have thought of that in 2008? Someone like Kohli, who is a superstar in the world of cricket, but is also a global superstar in the world of sports. In terms of Instagram and social media, he's up there with Ronaldo and Messi!" said the former New Zealand cricketer.

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With 269 million social media followers, Virat Kohli is the most avidly followed Indian sportsman and cricket player overall. It's fascinating to note that, behind Messi's 501 million Instagram followers and Ronaldo's 630 million, Kohli is the third most followed athlete globally. In addition to influencing social media, Kohli is becoming more and more noticeable on the pitch. The superstar cricketer had a solid IPL season as he ended the IPL 2024 campaign as the Orange Cap holder for the most runs scored in the IPL 2024 season.

Kohli will be in action for Team India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, but he is yet to head to the United States as he is spending some downtime with his family. While he may not be in action in the warm-ups, Kohli will be in action against Ireland when the Men in Blue open their T20 CWC campaign.