Virat Kohli celebrated his 36th birthday on Tuesday. From the days of being a young, spike-haired prodigy who led India to an iconic ICC U19 World Cup title win at Kuala Lumpur to 2008, Virat has proven himself to be the epitome of consistency, hard work, top-level fitness, dedication, aggression and various other traits a top-class sportsperson would have. Kohli has a fan following across the globe. His brand is often used by ICC to promote cricket in new territories. 

On his birthday, Kohli received wishes from across the world. Italian football player Agata Isabella Centasso was one of those wishers. She has played in Serie B. Her verified X Bio reads: “Italian Football player • Social Worker. Love sports, dogs, irony and my city. Intrigued by India.” She often posts about India. 

On Kohli’s birthday, Agata wrote: “@imVkohli, happy birthday from a fan in Italy. All the best to you”

However, some social media users trolled her after her post. 

In reply to those trolls, Agata wrote: “Every time I post something about Virat Kohli or cricket, there’s always someone bringing negativity. I honestly don’t understand why. Namaste.”

Having won India some of its biggest matches and spearheaded some of the sport’s remarkable run-chases, Virat has evolved from just a classy stroke player to something way more: A statistician’s delight that keeps everyone dissecting and marvelling at his numbers and a symbol of what Indian cricket is in modern age: Aggressive, in-your-face, resilient, razor sharp technically, filled with trophies to the brim and most importantly, a brand that has elevated the sport of cricket to people and places unknown.

Right from his international debut in 2008, Virat has represented India in 118 matches, scoring 9,040 runs at an average of 47.83 with 29 centuries and 31 fifties to his name and a best score of 254*. He is the fourth-highest run-getter and century-maker for India in Tests.

With ANI inputs 

Topics mentioned in this article