Virat Kohli believes India's sporting culture needs to change
While admitting that currently, India doesnât have a sports culture in the country, Virat Kohli voiced his excitement about the fact that India is moving in the right direction. The Indian cricket skipper also revealed that the improved awareness and coverage will help other sports in India grow.Â
While the Indian cricket team and, to a certain extent, the badminton team have been able to lay their stamp on the world stage, other sports have not really had too much success when it comes to success on a global stage. However, there are signs of improvement from every direction. From Rohan Bopanna winning the French Open last year to the Indian football team making it into the top-100 of the FIFA rankings, it has been all positive news recently.Â
Virat Kohli, who in the past had questioned the lack of a sporting culture of the country, explained why he wanted to make the leap into football â he owns a 12% stake in FC Goa â and the changing dynamic of sports in India.Â
âMy ultimate aim in life, in general, is to have a sporting culture in India where people know each and every sport inside out; to be able to follow all sports equally. I am certainly excited about the fact that we are at a juncture where we have a chance to create that in the next 10-15 years and we foresee Goa as the hub where footballers feel, âif I want to become a high-class footballer in India, I need to go there and trainâ,â Kohli told TOI.
When asked why he took a stake in FC Goa, he quickly replied, âItâs passion. Unless I connect to a certain thing, I can never be
âEven now we (cricketers) get so excited playing football because the sport is so easy to get a hang of. You can understand the rules. Obviously, at the elite level, itâs different but itâs something that excites children very quickly. Itâs about having a ball in front of you, trying to do something with it.
âThere is motivation attached
Even though India has a huge fan base for cricket, the football fanbase isnât too shabby. However, the question that always comes up in a discussion regarding the two sports is why the most popular sport in the world hasnât been able to catch up with the success that cricket enjoys in India. An optimistic Kohli explained that now with the kind of coverage Indian football was getting, it is bound to take off.
âItâs the lack of leagues like this at a major level. There is nothing like globalising the sport. With the kind of visibility on television and the kind of access that people have, itâs creating awareness. People know Indian players. People even watched all those who played at the Under-17 World Cup. Itâs all about visibility,â Kohli added.
âUnless you get to show your talent, on television screens, itâs very difficult for people to start liking something. It happened
When asked why the Indian cricket team warms up by playing football, he explained, âWe love it. There is a motivation attached to football. If you ask me to run 20 laps around the field, I would get bored after a while. But if you ask me to play a football match after a training session, I would keep running after that ball because I have a chance to do something with it. Itâs a beautiful sport; everyone in the team likes it, and we love to show off as well.â