Stop calling me king, it embarrasses me, just call me Virat: Virat Kohli

Star India batter Virat Kohli finally marked his return to the cricket stadium after two long months during the Royal Challengers Bangalore unbox event on Tuesday, March 19 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium Bengaluru. Notably, Kohli had been a break from cricket ahead of the five-match Test series against England in January to be with his wife Anushka Sharma as the couple were expecting their second child.

Following his son’s birth in February, Kohli finally returned to the cricket field as he joined the RCB squad for the upcoming IPL 2024. During the RCB Unbox event in Bengaluru, Kohli got a rousing reception from the crowd which went berserk seeing their favourite star after a long cap. The 35-year-old also urged the event host, Danish Sait, to not call him ‘King’ as he feels embarrassed by it.

Also Read: Virat Kohli hits the nets after two months, looks in sublime touch ahead of IPL 2024

“Guys, we need to get to Chennai pretty quickly, we have a chartered flight so we don’t have much time. Firstly, you need to stop calling me that word (king). I was telling Faf, I feel embarrassed everywhere when you call me that and they react like that so please just call me Virat from now on. Don’t use that word, it’s very embarrassing for me,” said Kohli during the event.

Notably, the honour of being called ‘King’ has been bestowed on Kohli by his large fanbase and several commentators for his mind-boggling achievements on the cricket field. The star batter has bailed India and RCB out of trouble on several occasions and is always seen giving his 100 percent during a game. Hence, to acknowledge Kohli’s stupendous achievements, he’s called the king of modern-day cricket out of reverence.

RCB to take on CSK in IPL 2024 opening fixture

Meanwhile, RCB will take on Chennai Super Kings in the opening game of the IPL 2024 on Friday, March 22 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The two teams share a great rivalry called the ‘Southern Derby’ by the fans. The upcoming game promises to be another mouth-watering clash between the two teams with MS Dhoni’s CSK hungry to start their title defence at their home ground with a win.