"Everyone would love to be like Virat Kohli" - Muttiah Muralitharan heaps praise on batter

Indian batsman Virat Kohli does not need an explanation for why he has so many followers all over the world. Virat is the most-followed Indian sportsman on Instagram, with over 200 million followers. Virat has set new fitness benchmarks and is one of India’s fittest cricketers. The former Indian captain has never missed a match due to injury and runs with incredible speed between the wickets.

Spin wizard and Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan has heaped praise on the former Indian captain. Muralitharan used to share the dressing room with Virat when he used to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

Speaking to Star Sports, Murali stated that if anyone wants to be a cricketer everyone would want to be like Virat Kohli. The former Sri Lankan off-spinner stated that he has a lot of good qualities as a cricketer and he is very passionate about the game.

Muttiah Muralitharan heaps praise on Virat Kohli

Muttiah Muralitharan said, “If you want to be a cricketer, everyone would love to be like Virat Kohli. I can say about him is he believes himself and he puts lot of hard work. He’s one player who puts in lots of hard work and he’s determined to perform well. So he has a lot of good qualities as a cricketer. He’s passionate about it.”

Further speaking in the conversation, Muttiah Muralitharan stated that whether Virat Kohli plays as a captain or player, the former Indian captain wants to compete and win. He also drew similarities between him and Virat wherein he stated that we both are serious about the game and do not want to let go of any match. Murali added that Virat is a fun-loving person and he had great times with him in RCB.

Muttiah Muralitharan said, “When playing. You see, whether he plays as a captain or player, he wants to win and he wants to compete. So I think he’s so dedicated to the game and he’s put a lot of effort to them. And he’s a very hard worker. We both are serious and we want to win and we want to don’t let go. But outside cricket is very fun. He’s very, very normal and he’s not like, tensed up, like determined like that. He’s a fun loving person. And I had great times within RCB.”

Virat Kohli is one of modern cricket’s best batsmen, and he is well-known for his commitment to the Test format. As a member of the Indian Test team, Virat has scored runs in every country on the earth. He has consistently said that he prefers the red ball format.

Virat completed 2023 as one of the leading run scorers, with an average of 66.06 and 2048 runs in 35 games, including eight hundreds. Kohli was also named ICC ODI Player of the Year for his exceptional performance in the 50-over format over one year.

Virat Kohli is currently away from the cricketing action and was blessed with a baby boy earlier this month. The right-handed batter will return to the cricket field in the IPL 2024.