Of the many adjectives used to describe Virat Kohli, passionate is very high on the list. The Indian cricket captain returned to India after a long tour of South Africa and the FC Goa co-owner was soon seen at the Fatorda Stadium to cheer his team as they notched a huge 5-1 win over ATK on Wednesday.
Football, he says, is his passion which prompted him to invest in the Indian Super League team.
“I have always followed football. Even now we (cricketers) get so excited playing football, because the sport is so easy to get a hang of. You can understand the rules. Obviously at the elite level, it’s different but it’s something that excites children very quickly. It’s about having a ball in front of you, trying to do something with it,” Kohli told The Times of India in an interview.
However, he has also spoke about why he thinks football is not as popular as cricket in India, the lack of leagues.
“There is nothing like globalising the sport. With the kind of visibility on television and the kind of access that people have, it’s creating awareness. People know Indian players. People even watched all those who played at the Under-17 World Cup. It’s all about visibility. Unless you get to show your talent, on television screens, it’s very difficult for people to start liking something.
“It happened with me as well. If our Under-19 World Cup wasn’t televised, maybe I wouldn’t have been sitting here. Our matches were televised and we got our chance to portray our talent. Then people started talking about us. The kind of visibility that the league has will play a major role,” he added.
He had a lot of praise for the league and the way it is changing Indian sport.
“The kind of awareness that ISL has created, everyone around the world talks about it. It’s been a wonderful change to Indian sport and I totally want to endorse that. One thing that I have missed growing up with is sporting culture. When you come to football games, you can see the sporting culture. Because people who follow football understand the sport,” he added.
The captain also hinted that he has taken a more circumspect approach towards endorsements, after his bold step of not continuing with aerated drink Pespi last year. “Unless I connect to a certain thing, I can never be a part. Even when signing brands, I have started following this (principle) very closely. I need to be there from inside whatever I am doing,” he said.
The 28-year-old also elaborated on the need for a sporting culture in India, something he says is his ultimate goal.
“My ultimate aim in life in general is to have a sporting culture in India where people know each and every sport inside out; to be able to follow all sports equally,” Kohli said.
Read the full interview here
