Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli steps down as India's Test skipper
Virat Kohli stepped down as India's Test skipper on Saturday, a day after the team suffered a series defeat against the Proteas in South Africa.
The 33-year-old charismatic cricketer took to social media to announce the decision in the evening, thanking the all-powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), former head coach Ravi Shastri and MS Dhoni, his predecessor.
"It's been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Every thing has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it's now," Kohli wrote on Instagram.
"I want to thank BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation," Kohli said in his statement that he later tweeted.
The BCCI, on its part, thanked Kohli for his "admirable leadership qualities" and also retweeted his statement.
Read: Tigers return home from a different tour of New Zealand
"BCCI congratulates #TeamIndia captain @imVkohli for his admirable leadership qualities that took the Test team to unprecedented heights. He led India in 68 matches and has been the most successful captain with 40 wins," the Board tweeted.
In December last year, ace batter Rohit Sharma replaced Kohli as India's full-time white-ball captain. A month before, Kohli quit as India's T20 international captain.
A right-handed top-order batsman, Kohli is regarded as one of the best contemporary batsmen in the world. He had been the national cricket team's captain since 2013. Since October 2017, he has been the top-ranked ODI batsman in the world.
In 2018, Time magazine named Kohli one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2020, he became the only cricketer in the world to feature in Forbes list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world with an estimated earnings of USD 26 million.
Spineless people abused Shami, says India captain Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli has thrown his full support behind Mohammed Shami after the fast bowler was abused on social media following a T20 World Cup cricket defeat against archrival Pakistan.
“Here’s a good reason why we are playing on the field and not some bunch of spineless people on social media that have no courage to actually speak to any individual in person,” Kohli told reporters on Saturday.
Shami, the only Muslim in the India team, was subjected to criticism that included Islamophobic messages on his Instagram account after returning figures of 0-43 as Pakistan romped to a 10-wicket win in Dubai last Sunday.
Read 'Tigers still have plenty to take from WC'
“Attacking someone over their religion is the most, I would say, pathetic thing that a human being can do,” Kohli said. “Everyone has the right to voice their opinion and what they feel about certain situations but I personally have never, ever even thought of discriminating against anyone over their religion. That is a very sacred and personal thing to every human being and that should be left there.”
Pakistan’s win was its first in 13 attempts in any World Cup game against its neighbor.
“He (Shami) has been our primary bowler with Jasprit Bumrah when it comes to making an impact in games,” Kohli said. “If people can overlook that and his passion for the country, I honestly don’t even want to waste one minute of my life to give any attention to those people.
Read Asif's 4 sixes in 1 over seals Pakistan win over Afghanistan
“We stand by him fully. We are backing him 200 per cent and all those who have attacked him can come with more force if they want. Our brotherhood, our friendship within the team, nothing can be shaken.
“I can guarantee you that as captain of the team, we have built a culture where these things will not even infiltrate into this environment 0.0001 per cent.”
India takes on New Zealand in its second Group 2 match on Sunday. Pakistan has won all three of its World Cup games.
Kohli to step down from Bangalore captaincy after IPL season
Virat Kohli will step down as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore at the end of this season's Indian Premier League.
Kohli had already announced he will relinquish the captaincy of India in the Twenty20 format after the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in October and November.
“(I’ve) spoken to the squad this evening, before the second leg of the tournament starts, to inform everyone that this is going to be my last leg in the IPL as captain of our city,” Kohli said in a video message posted on RCB’s Twitter account on Sunday.
Also read: Virat Kohli to step down as India's T20 skipper
“(This was) something that was on my mind for a while … to manage my workload which has been immense over the last so many years. I want to continue to be committed to the responsibilities that I’m fulfilling, and I felt I needed the space to refresh, to regroup and be absolutely clear in how I want to move forward.”
Kohli has led Bangalore since 2013 but has not yet won the world's most lucrative T20 league. Kohli said he will continue with Bangalore as a player.
“I’ve made it clear to the management that, you know, I can’t think of me being in any other team than RCB,” he said. “That has been my commitment from Day 1 (and) I will continue to be RCB player till I play my last game in the IPL.”
Also read: IPL 2021: Those who are at the Top Before the Tournament Resume
Bangalore is currently third after winning five of its seven games in India before the IPL was suspended in May due to coronavirus. The league resumed in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday with Chennai Super Kings beating defending champions Mumbai Indians by 20 runs.
Bangalore plays Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.
Virat Kohli to step down as India's T20 skipper
India's charismatic skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday announced that he would step down as the country's T20 international captain after the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
The announcement comes just three days after local media reported that right-handed batsman Rohit Sharma may take over as India's one-day and T20I captain after the mega tournament, slated to take place in Dubai and Oman from October 17 to November 14.
"I have decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October," the 32-year-old said in a social media post.
Virat has, of late, faced questions over his batting and captaincy. He last scored a century in a Test match in November 2019. For 51 innings, he has not hit a hundred in any international format of the game.
Virat, who took over as India's T20I captain in 2017 after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down from his position, said he took head coach Ravi Shastri into confidence before spelling out his decision, which he attributed to "immense workload" in all formats of the game.
Read: Superstar couple Anushka & Virat Kohli urge paparazzis 'to stay away from our baby'
"... considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for the last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian team in Test and ODI Cricket," he wrote.
However, Virat made it clear that he will continue to lead the team in Test cricket and ODIs."I have given everything to the Team during my time as T20 captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward," he wrote.
A right-handed top-order batsman, Kohli is regarded as one of the best contemporary batsmen in the world. He has been the national cricket team's captain since 2013. Since October 2017, he has been the top-ranked ODI batsman in the world.
In 2018, Time magazine named Kohli one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2020, he became the only cricketer in the world to feature in Forbes list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world with an estimated earnings of USD 26 million.
Top 5 Most Followed Athletes Across Social Media Platforms
A player's global popularity may be determined by the number of social media followers he has. Furthermore, players with a huge number of social media followers are in great demand by the big brands in the world. Therefore any celebrity can take social media as a tool to increase his popularity. Because in this way a celebrity may showcase his or her worth to the wider populace. This article discusses the top 5 most followed athletes across social media platforms and we picked the three most popular social media platforms in the world, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to do the list.
Top 5 sports personalities with the highest social media followers
We have considered the combined number of followers of popular social media platforms to form the top ten. Let's take a look at this list.
5. LeBron James (Basketball)
Total Followers: 157M | Biggest Platform: Instagram (79.9M)
American basketball player LeBron James is ranked fifth on this list of the top social media influencers by athletes. LeBron is widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, and he is often compared to legend Michael Jordan in arguments about who is the greatest basketball player of all time. James has a huge fan following and one of the most influential social media figures in the world.
Read: Dhaka Premier Division T20 Cricket League 2021: Confirmed Fixtures
4. Virat Kohli (Cricket)
Total Followers: 195M | Biggest Platform: Instagram (100M)
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is ranked fourth on this list of the top social media influencers by athletes. Virat Kohli is the current captain of the Indian national team across all formats. He is a top-order batsman who bats right-handed. Kohli is regarded as one of the best batsmen of his generation and one of the all-time greats. In the Indian Premier League, he plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Virat Kohli has a large fan base, particularly in his native country in India, and he is ranked 25th on the list of the world's most popular social media figures.
3. Neymar (Football)
Total Followers: 283M | Biggest Platform: Instagram (146M)
Brazilian footballer Neymar is ranked third on this list of athletes' top social media influences. Neymar is the current captain of the Brazilian national football team. He is a striker for Paris Saint-Germain of the French Ligue 1 and the Brazilian national team. He is widely recognized as one of the world's top players. Neymar has a significant fan following all around the world, and he is ranked 12th on the list of the world's most popular social media figures.
Read: Who is more likely to win the Copa America 2021 between Argentina and Brazil?
2. Lionel Messi (Football)
Total Followers: 298M | Biggest Platform: Instagram (186M)
Argentine footballer Lionel Messi is ranked second on this list of sportsmen with the most social media influence. He is a striker who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Messi is widely recognized as the greatest player in the world and one of the greatest players of all time. He has won a record six Ballon d'Or awards, as well as six European Golden Ball trophies. Lionel Messi has a tremendous fan base all around the world. He is ranked 11th on the list of the world's most popular social media figures.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Football)
Total Followers: 517M | Biggest Platform: Instagram (265M)
Portuguese superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is the world's most influential social media person. He plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus and the Portugal national team. He is often regarded as the greatest player in the history of football. Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times and the European Golden Shoes four times. Ronaldo holds the UEFA Champions League records for most goals (134) and assists (42).
Bottom Line
Looking at the top 5 most popular athletes across social media platforms, it is clear that the popularity of footballers worldwide is skyrocketing. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina's Lionel Messi, and Brazil's Neymar are very popular. Cricketers are gradually gaining in popularity. India captain Virat Kohli is quite popular now. He is the first cricketer to break into the top 10 list.
Read: UEFA EURO 2020: The favourites, underdogs and outsiders
IPL 2021: The best IPL playing XI 2021 from each team
The 14th season of IPL has just begun. Every team in the competition had worked hard to build a solid squad for this year's campaign. Even so, not all the teams were able to form a balanced squad. That being said, each team has at least a handful of superstar players. The teams' main goal is to field the best possible playing XI, but selecting the ideal 11 can be hard at times. Now, imagine how difficult it would be to pick the best IPL playing XI 2021 from each team? However, we have attempted to do that in this article.
The best IPL 2021 playing XI could be like this
We followed the IPL laws when selecting the XI. In other words, this playing XI features four overseas players and seven Indians players.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Top five memorable performances in Test Cricket
Top-order
1) Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is the most effective captain in IPL history as Mumbai Indians have won the Indian Premier League five times under his leadership. Therefore Rohit Sharma is the most ideal person to captain this XI. Rohit is the fifth-highest run-scorer in IPL history. In 203 matches, he has scored 5,324 runs at an average of 31.31 and 130.71 strikes. That is why he is also the most sought-after opener.
2) David Warner
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the IPL 2016 under the leadership of Australian batsman David Warner. Hyderabad team has consistently performed well in every Indian Premier League event thanks to his leadership abilities. Warner has also had a lot of success as an opening batsman in the IPL. The left-hander has scored 5,347 runs in 145 matches at an average of 42.43 and 141.19 strike rates, the fourth highest in IPL history. So, David Warner is the ideal opening partner for Rohit Sharma.
3) Virat Kohli
One of the best batsmen in the world today, Virat Kohli has yet to win an IPL title for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Despite his failure as a captain, Virat is the most successful batsman in the IPL. Because Kohli is the highest run-scorer in the history of IPL. He has scored 5,347 runs in 195 matches at an average of 37.89 and 130.46 strikes. So there is no alternative to Virat for the number three position.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Recap of the Key Test Records
Middle-order
4) AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers is one of the most fearsome batsmen in cricket history. Mr. 360 has helped Royal Challengers Bangalore to win many matches. Despite winning countless matches, he is yet to win the IPL title. AB de Villiers is the best middle-order batsman in IPL history. He has scored 4,974 runs at an average of 40.77 and 152.67 strikes in 172 matches.
5) Rishabh Pant (Wk)
In the absence of Shreyas Iyer, India's number one wicket-keeper Rishab Pant is captaining the Delhi Capitals in this year's IPL. Pant has already solidified his reputation as an aggressive batsman. Pant must excel at batting, keeping, and captaincy if Delhi is to win the trophy. So far, he has scored 2,160 runs in 71 matches with a strike rate of 151.26. Pant also made a total of 55 dismissals.
6) Andre Russell
Windies power hitter Andre Russell is the most deadly all-rounder in the world right now. Russell plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL who is equally good at batting and bowling. He has helped Kolkata to win many matches. So Knight Riders fans will have a lot of expectations from him again. Russell has scored 1,562 runs in 77 matches with a staggering strike rate of 179.12. He also has taken 67 wickets.
7) Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya is the most fearsome batsman in India's lower middle order. He has the ability to hit big shots with the bat in the death overs. Pandya, who has won several IPL titles, wants to prove his true class for Mumbai once again. Pandya has taken 42 wickets in 83 matches while also making 1,384 runs at a strike rate of 157.45.
Read: Who will win the IPL 2021? The favorites, underdogs, and outsiders
Spinners
8) Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine is one of the most successful spinners in the Indian Premier League's history. His flawless spin always kills batsmen. Narayan plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and is just as capable with the bat as he is with the ball. He has taken 127 wickets in 120 matches and scored 892 runs at a strike rate of 164.27.
9) Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzbendra Chahal, one of the best spinners in the Indian national team, plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. Chahal has been RCB's main spinner in recent years. So his inclusion in this playing XI is very normal. Chahal has 123 IPL wickets at an average of 22.98 and 7.70 economy rates in 102 matches.
Read: BAN vs SL Cricket Test series 2021: Expected personal milestones to achieve
Pacers
10) Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Right-arm fast-medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of India's most effective pace bowlers, as well as one of the most successful bowlers in the history of the Indian Premier League. In 2016, Bhuvneshwar won the IPL trophy for Hyderabad. Needless to say, Bhubaneswar Kumar is leading Hyderabad's pace attack. He has 138 wickets in 124 matches, with an average of 24.44 and an economy rate of 7.30.
11) Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is currently the best fast bowler in the Indian national team. His superb bowling has helped India and his IPL team Mumbai Indians to win many matches. Bumrah, who has won the IPL more than once for Mumbai, has 112 wickets in 95 matches, averaging 23.68 and with an economy rate of 7.35.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Analysis of Bangladesh’s Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series
Bottom Line
Forming the best IPL playing XI 2021 from each team was a challenging task as we had plenty of options to create the team. The cricketers' experience, record, and recent form were given priority while forming the pre-tournament IPL playing XI for this season. In that perspective, this is a really destructive IPL XI. Because this XI has some of the finest all-rounders in the world, as well as some fantastic bowlers and batsmen. It will be exciting to see who will make the IPL's best XI at the end of the tournament.
Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma designs 'gender neutral' nursery for daughter
Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma and her cricketer-husband Virat Kohli have set up a nursery for their baby girl at their 7,000 sq ft home in an upscale locality in India's financial capital Mumbai. And both being animal lovers, the couple have ensured that the "gender neutral" nursery walls display only pictures of animals.
Superstar couple Anushka & Virat Kohli urge paparazzis 'to stay away from our baby'
There are some celebrity couples in India who publicise their pregnancies to such a level that people start keeping tabs on their appointments with gynecologists and hospital visits. Then there are some who manage to keep their impending arrivals a secret for months.
Dhoni creates new world record with over 30m Instagram fans
Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has broken many records in his illustrious cricketing career. The 49-year-old's record-breaking spree continues even after his international retirement.