Kohli: A Phenomenon Beyond Borders

If you asked someone in India who is the most loved Indian cricketer in Pakistan, they would probably name Indian legends such as Tendulkar or Kapil Dev, but the reality could not be more different.

Virat Kohli enjoys massive support in Pakistan, more than anyone else. Some may say that he even enjoys more support than some Pakistani cricketers themselves. When India beat Pakistan in the T20I World Cup match on the 23 of October, Virat Kohli was the man who made victory possible for his nation. But after this loss, Kohli was not hated but loved even more in Pakistan. The question is, how come this individual alone has garnered such a huge following in the rival country?

The answer is pretty simple, Kohli is by far the best batsman in the world right now. One thing you need to understand about the Pakistanis is that we love the game of cricket more than the teams. A good game of cricket is what this nation craves, and even if that world class performance is given by someone from India it will be highly appreciated in Pakistan.

Before the world cup when Kohli was going through a rough patch and was not able to perform much well, Pakistanis were very local about their support. Fans were overjoyed in Pakistan when Virat Kohli scored his much awaited 71st century in ODI.