Novak Djokovic took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Indian sports star Virat Kohli for his record-breaking feat in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup in India. The cricket player is one of the most popular athletes globally. He has more followers on social media than LeBron James and Tiger Woods combined. His and Djokovic’s fans on social media reacted to the Serb wishing Kohli in a rare cross-sport link-up.
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Scoring 117 runs against New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, Kohli set a new record. He became the first, and to date only, batter to make 50 centuries in One-Day Cricket. He now holds the record for most centuries in the format of the game. Even at 35, he does not look like slowing down and is likely to add more to his tally.
Currently in Turin for the 2023 ATP Finals, Djokovic congratulated Kohli on X for his achievement and called him legendary. Like the Indian megastar, Djokovic also continues to be the best in his sport. Despite his advancing years and a new crop of young, rising challengers, he keeps winning. The World No.1 holds the record for most Grand Slams won, hence knows a thing or two about being the most decorated athlete in a sport. He, too, will likely add more silverware to his cabinet.
After Roger Federer’s retirement and Rafael Nadal’s decline, Djokovic has inarguably become the global face of tennis. He is one of the most popular players in the sport, with over 9 million followers on X and over 14 million on Instagram. However, his numbers pale in comparison with Kohli’s. The former Indian national team captain is a worldwide icon with a massive online presence. He has 59 million X followers and 263 million on Instagram. Even American superstars like James and Woods trail the cricketer by a sizeable margin. They have 158 million and 3.3 million Instagram fans, respectively.
Fans react to Novak Djokovic wishing Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has a humongous fan following on social media. This was evident as the congratulatory post from Novak Djokovic logged more likes, reposts, and comments than any of his recent tweets by a significant gap. Fans reacted to the Serb’s message in various ways.
One fan shared photos of Djokovic and Kohli striking similar poses with their equipment and said ‘GOAT recognise GOAT’. Many other users reacted with a similar sentiment.
Few users expressed how unexpected this crossover was. One fan called it a ‘pleasant surprise’.
More fans discussed how similar Kohli and Djokovic are in terms of their mental and physical fitness. One said it is no surprise to see the two athletes acknowledge each other’s greatness given how similar they are. Another wished for the duo to meet, saying people with such mental strength deserve to be friends.
Both Kohli and Djokovic are currently chasing prestigious trophies. While the latter has his eyes on a record seventh ATP Finals title, the former will look to win the final and lift the ICC World Cup Trophy.
