Virat Kohli is Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket: Dwayne Bravo
West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo on Monday heaped lavish praise on Indian skipper Virat Kohli, calling the 29-year-old ‘Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket.’
The duo was present at the launch of Kohli’s signature headwear collection with US-based sports and lifestyle brand New Era.
Portuguese and Real Madrid star Ronaldo is a five-time winner of Ballon d’Or while Kohli is currently the top-ranked One-Day International (ODI) batsman of the world. The duo feature among the most valued athletes in the world, with Forbes ranking Ronaldo – with a net value $21.5 million — fourth in its list in 2017. Kohli, with a value of $14.5 million, was seventh on the list, ahead of Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy, Argentine and Barcelona mainstay Lionel Messi, and Golden State Warriors’ star Stephen Curry.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain was the only cricketer to make it to that list, reports firstpost.com.
‘Virat actually played Under-19 cricket with my younger brother Darren Bravo. I always tell my brother Virat is a person you should look up to. I am not saying that because I am here, I actually asked Virat to talk to my brother about batting and cricket,’ the 34-year-old said.
‘When I see Virat, I see the Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket. For me as a cricket player to play against him and to watch him play, represent India and RCB, I just admire the talent he has, the passion he has for the sport. Hats off to him and he deserves all the accolades that he is getting,’ he added.
Bravo also performed to his new song, ‘Run the World’, and revealed that his new song, titled ‘Asia’, would be released later this year during the Asia Cup.
‘I am a kind of person who loves to make people happy from the way I play on the cricket field. I dance on the cricket field. It is a way of my life. I am a very happy, positive person so I like to do music that can inspire them and make them enjoy themselves,’ Bravo said about his love for music.
Earlier, Kohli said that he had sealed the deal with New Era in London during last year's Champions Trophy. India reached the final of the tournament where they were outclassed by a resurgent Pakistan team. Kohli ended the event as India’s third-highest scorer — fifth overall — and his average of 129 was highest among all batsmen.