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Virat Kohli, the former Indian captain, is one of the most influential figures in cricket, and over the past decade or so, he has been one of the biggest crowd-pullers in the sport whether in stadiums or in the world of broadcasting. But, in one of his latest interviews, in the build-up to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, the 36-year-old took a brutal dig at broadcasters for putting together shows dedicated to his eating habits and favourite chole-bhature place rather than focusing their attention solely on cricket matches.
During his illustrious career, Virat Kohli has been the shining light not only on the field, but also off the field, playing a key role in taking cricket to the heights the sport hasn’t seen before. With that, the broadcasters have taken it upon themselves to make Virat Kohli seem bigger than the sport of cricket itself, which didn’t quite sit well with him while speaking at the Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit hosted by his IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
You could talk about what an athlete is going through: Virat Kohli
In the report published in Hindustan Times, Virat Kohli came heavily on the broadcasters for not giving enough space to things that an athlete is going through, instead making the show all about his eating habits. He was quoted as saying, “A broadcast show needs to talk about the game and not what I ate yesterday for lunch or my favourite chole-bhature place in Delhi. You can’t have that in cricket matches. Rather, you could talk about what an athlete is going through.”
The multi-time ICC Champions Trophy winner also detailed the importance of educating the masses about the intricacies of sport, which will help them better under the ordeal that a sports person goes through. He said, “We are working towards India becoming a sports-forward nation. We have the vision. We have the groundwork happening today. It should be a collective responsibility of everyone involved. It’s not just about the infrastructure or the people who infuse the money. It’s also about the people who watch. We need education.”
Moreover, Virat Kohli has joined the RCB camp ahead of the IPL 2025 season, which will begin on Saturday, March 22, when they will be taking on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
