Caribbean wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua da Silva grabbed headlines after publicly fanboying over Team India superstar Virat Kohli during the ongoing second Test between the Rohit-led outfit and West Indies.
da Silva on Day 1 seemed excited after Kohli knuckled down and neared his 100, reminding the premier batter of his upcoming milestone. He even revealed that his mother had flown to Trinidad just to see Kohli bat. Kohli was spotted with Joshua’s mother –who got emotional upon hugging him– at the end of Day 2.
Joshua da Silva, a 24 Test veteran, however, is not the sole cricketer who loves Virat Kohli. There are several others with utmost admiration for The Chase Master, and we will discuss four of them herein.
4 cricketers apart from Joshua da Silva who are die hard fans of Virat Kohli
1. Sir Vivian Richards
Born and brought up in Antigua, Sir Vivian Richards is arguably the most destructive batsman of all time. He represented the Caribbean between 1974 and 1991, fetching 8540 Test runs at an average and strike-rate of 50.24 and 86 respectively.
One of his idols growing up, Sir Richards had personally appreciated Virat Kohli for his first Test double hundred that came in 2016 at Richard’s home ground.
Kohli had recalled that memory during his FOLLOW THE BLUES interview ahead of the ongoing series against West Indies, saying that things cannot get any better than that.
Richards had also congratulated Kohli for his stellar run as India’s Test skipper after the latter relinquished the captaincy spot on JAN 15, 2022.
Congratulations @imVkohli on a stunning run as the Indian captain. You can be very proud of what you have achieved so far, and for sure, your name will be up there among the best leaders in world cricket 👏 https://t.co/DieCKL4bhE
— Sir Vivian Richards (@ivivianrichards) January 15, 2022
2. AB de Villiers
“I thought he (Virat) was quite cocky and arrogant when I first met him. Hairstyle going, absolutely flamboyant. But the minute I got to know him better and watched him play, I had a lot of respect for him”, de Villiers had said during RCB’s 2023 jersey launch at Bangalore.
Be it on the pitch, or off it, the camaraderie between two of the greatest batsmen of the 21st century has been a sight too precious to put into words.
de Villiers and Kohli formed the most dangerous batting pair in Indian Premier League history, smashing boundaries and scampering for doubles at will during their time together at RCB.
The highest-ever IPL partnership (229) belongs to Virat Kohli and de Villiers. The second-highest partnership (215*) of the league also belongs to them.
3. Danielle Wyatt
England Women cricketer Danielle Wyatt is also one of the hardcore fans of Virat Kohli. The batting all-rounder had proposed to the Indian star on Twitter back in 2014. However, Virat Kohli’s mother had rejected the marriage proposal.
4. Mohammed Siraj
If there is one fellow cricketer who would take (or shoot 😉 ) a bullet for Kohli, it is Md. Siraj.
Miyaan Bhai, as he is often hailed, was taken apart by one and all during his first few seasons in the tournament, before continuous backing from RCB skipper Virat Kohli turned him into the new-ball menace that he now is.
Siraj –who also made his test debut under Kohli’s tenure– had penned an emotional message for his skipper labeling him a SUPERHERO when the 2011 WC winner gave up his test captaincy 18 months ago.
Kohli has been someone Md. Siraj looks up to, and has built his aggressive and expressive cricket style after.