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India National Cricket Team superstar Virat Kohli has finally reacted to the famous nicknames linked to him. From VirUshka to MahiRat and now popular Ro-Ko, these names have become a major part of Indian cricket fans' love for their favourite stars.
Ahead of the first ODI against the West Indies on Sunday, September 27, Kohli explained how the trend started and how it eventually became popular in cricket. He also revealed about his famous nickname with Rohit Sharma and why it is so popular among the fans and broadcasters. Earlier, Dhruv Jurel named Virat Kohli best sledger but denied the most stylish player tag.
Virat Kohli reveals how Virushka began the trend
“VirUshka was the first name which became popular in India, it’s a combination of my name and my wife Anushka Sharma’s name,” said Virat Kohli in a chat with Abhinav Mukund on JioStar. The trend first became popular because of the couple’s popularity and people’s interest in their relationship.
The former Indian captain's reaction to his nicknames came before the three-match ODI series against the West Indies at home. The first ODI is scheduled for Sunday, September 27.
Notably, Kohli is just 59 runs away from reaching the huge milestone of 15,000 ODI runs. With an impressive average of 66.50 against the West Indies, the Indian star has a strong opportunity to reach the landmark in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
Virat Kohli reveals the story behind his iconic MahiRat bond with MS Dhoni
Fans took the same idea further with the cricketers who shared a close bond on and off the field. Fans came up with MahiRat for Kohli and MS Dhoni. The MahiRat nickname highlighted the strong friendship and bond shared by the two Indian cricketing legends.
Virat Kohli said on JioStar: “You know, before these, with me and MS, they used to use 'Mahirat'," Kohli said, pointing out that pairing names wasn't something that started with him and Rohit at all. 'Virushka' is special in a very different way.
That was actually the first thing that became popular in terms of, you know, clubbing names. After that, 'Mahirat' came about, like, 'They have a bromance going on,' you know? So they brought it from romance into bromance.” Amid this, Virat Kohli reveals his role in helping captain Rohit Sharma.
Virat Kohli reveals why ‘Ro-Ko’ has become a fan favourite
Kohli also spoke about Ro-Ko, the nickname that combines his name with Rohit Sharma's. The nickname has now become widely used by fans, commentators and broadcasters. The Ro-Ko nickname is often used whenever the two former Indian captains return to the team together.
He also feels that Ro-Ko has a nice sound to it and that fans are having fun with the name. Kohli also believes it works well for broadcasters in making things more entertaining for the fans.
The dashing right-hander added, “And then with me and Rohit, we've played for so long that this now, this term, came up some time ago. And it sounds nice, it sounds good, and people are having a lot of fun with it. Also, now that we only play one format, even from, I'm sure, broadcasters' perspective... it's a very nice tagline to use: 'Oh, Ro-Ko are here, they are back. 'It's good. I mean, it's got a ring to it, and it's benefiting everyone, so it's cool.”
😂💗 https://t.co/iF1CxC5rtP pic.twitter.com/1Bwj4pMHdf
— as (@badlesedin1) September 27, 2026
