I don't relate to fame and too much attention: Virat Kohli
Team India captain Virat Kohli is often regarded as the modern-day great. The premium Indian batsman is the among the only two batsmen to be ranked in top-10 ICC rankings of all three formats currently. Kohli is no. 1 in the ODI, 2nd in Test and 10th in the T20I rankings. The 31-year-old is known for his aggressive approach towards the game as the captain. With years of the consistent show, Kohli has become the biggest star in the cricketing world. This is reflected in the fact that he was the only cricketer to feature in Forbes' list of 100 highest-paid athletes in the world.
During a live Instagram session with India's Test specialist Ravichandran Ashwin, Kohli said fame doesn't affect him much.
"I love this sport and the opportunity to do something that can inspire people. Playing for your country is the biggest honour for any sportsperson," he said on Reminisce with Ash.
"Having said that, if someone told me would you like to give all your fame, I would give it just like that. Because over a period of time you realise that, you are doing what is important, but you also need to be a normal person at the end of the day," he said. (Also Read | 183 against Pakistan in 2012 Asia Cup was the 'game-changer' for me: Virat Kohli)
Kohli further said earlier, cricketers had more freedom to move around but now with the emergence of social media, everything has changed.
"When you speak of previous times, people had a lot more freedom to move around. There weren't camera phones in your face all the time, scanning everything you are doing minute to minute everyday. I think both Anushka (Sharma) and myself are very comfortable being in our space at our homes doing normal things. Fame, too much attention, too much intrusion and interest into what we are doing all the time, that I don't relate to.
Kohli believes he can easily get off social media as he did not grow up with it. (Also Read | Virat Kohli reveals how he earned MS Dhoni's confidence to lead India)
"I think a part of it is that these things were not part of our lives growing up. We did not grow up with social media constantly in our lives so if we want to do it, we can easily get off social media if we like. Which might be very difficult for people who are growing up today. It's a different time in our lives and yes, I would say just take it all away from me."
