‘Kitni hi tareef kare’ – Fans react as Virat Kohli becomes most searched Asian personality of 2023; beats BTS stars V and Jungkook

Often hailed as the face of world cricket, Virat Kohli once again proved that he is the ‘King’ not only on the field but also off the field. The Indian megastar has been named the most searched Asian personality of 2023. Known for breaking and creating numerous records on the cricket field, Kohli has also set a standard on social media and this feat is just a testament to that.

The 35-year-old has a huge fan following across the globe thanks to his exploits with the bat over the years. Since his debut for Team India in 2008, Kohli has been the backbone of their batting unit and continues to do what he does best. ‘King Kohli’, ‘Run Machine’, ‘Ton Machine’, ‘Chase Master’ – monikers abound for the elite star.

Kohli had tight competition from music icons BTS’s Jungkook and V to become the most searched Asians on Google. K-pop star V had claimed the top spot during the first half of 2023, but the veteran batter snatched that title in the second half. V, however, slipped to third place by the end of the year, with Jungkook taking second place. Kohli also surpassed Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif, the ‘Most Searched Asian Worldwide 2022’ as listed by Google last year.

Although cricket is less popular worldwide than some other sports, Kohli has become the third most followed athlete on Instagram after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. His impact goes beyond the field and it is a testament to how much people love this legendary cricketer.

2023 has been a phenomenal year for Kohli: Venkatesh Prasad 

The year 2023 witnessed another peak for Virat Kohli. The ace batter became the second-highest run-scorer in 2023 with 2048 runs across all formats of the game. He had a tremendous ODI World Cup in 2023, finishing with 765 runs, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs in a single WC edition. Former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad recently heaped praise on Kohli during a Q&A session, saying 2023 has been a phenomenal year for the right-hander.

“He has proved again that he is a champion and the best batsman of this generation, been a phenomenal year for him. Would rate this as his best year, especially since it had come after a couple of difficult years for him. That hunger and zeal was refreshing and sign of a true champion that Virat is,” said Venkatesh Prasad on Twitter.

Here’s how fans reacted: