Virat Kohli- The Man Behind The Hype

A glimpse into the life of India’s biggest celebrity.

- Abhishek Mande Bhot & Shivangi Lolayekar

About halfway into our interview, Virat Kohli’s manager pulls out his mobile phone to reveal a photo of his boss as a five-year-old. Kohli’s dressed in a pair of shiny silver trousers and a matching jacket, holding a toy gun and looking disapprovingly into the camera. He’s young enough to not have a say in what he’s been made to wear, but old enough to be displeased about it. Even in this childhood photograph, probably shot in a West Delhi studio in the early Nineties, Kohli has that unmistakable glint in his eye, one that’s stayed with him all these years.

Right now, he’s unwinding after his most recent GQ shoot at the tony Mumbai club, The A. It’s hard to imagine that this ripped, tatted, stylish hype beast with a perfectly manicured beard (he thinks it needs to be insured) has ever had a fashion misstep. His white tee pasted with a smiling emoji and track pants may look basic, but the immaculate fit resonates. He cites Tom Hardy and Roger Federer as style inspirations, but no one brings out the fanboy in him quite like Cristiano Ronaldo. In a way, Kohli embodies many of the traits that make them both sporting legends: talented, unbeatable, tactile.

Kohli has always understood the power of presentation, both on and off the field. Today, he’s the fastest player to score 9,000 runs in ODIs, the first to score double centuries in four consecutive Test series and has scored the most centuries while chasing. Personal records notwithstanding, Kohli has also been responsible for leading India to their longest winning streak in Test matches – nine series between 2015 and 2017-18 – and to the top of the Test rankings, while remaining among the top three ODI and T20 teams worldwide. Indian cricket has never been so gladiatorial.