Virat Kohli opens up on the tale of camaraderie with global superstar Novak Djokovic

Indian cricket stalwart Virat Kohli shared an amusing anecdote about his interaction with tennis legend Novak Djokovic. Kohli, in a recent conversation, disclosed that upon receiving a Direct Message (DM) from Djokovic on Instagram, his initial instinct was to verify the authenticity, half-expecting it to be a prank.

Djokovic, in a separate interview, had praised India’s star batter for his exceptional achievements, highlighting their ongoing text communication despite not meeting in person. The 35-year-old reciprocated the admiration and expressed his respect for Djokovic. The intriguing revelation added a unique twist to the camaraderie between these two global sporting icons who connect beyond the boundaries of their respective sports.

“I got in touch with Novak very organically. I think I was just looking at his profile once Instagram and I just happened to press the message button. I thought I’ll just say hello maybe. And then, I saw a message from him on my DM already. I never opened it myself,” Kohli said in video uploaded by BCCI.

“First time I saw my own messages, I saw he’s messaged me himself. And I was like, let me just check if it’s a fake account or something like that. But then, I checked it again and it was legitimate and we got talking. We keep exchanging messages every now and then,” he added.

Here's the latest video from BCCI:

Djokovic sent a nice message after my 50^th hundred: Virat Kohli

Djokovic, a tennis maestro with an impressive record of 24 Grand Slam men's singles titles, drew admiration from the global cricket star. Reflecting on their camaraderie, the former India captain revealed that the Serbian great had sent him a congratulatory message when he notched his 50th ODI century as he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's milestone. The swashbuckling batter also expressed mutual respect between the two sporting legends. 

“I congratulated him for all his amazing achievements. When I got my 50th [ODI] century recently, he put out a story and he sent me a very nice message as well. There’s been a mutual admiration, respect and really nice to connect with global athletes who are excelling at a higher level. Collectively, what I think about it is it’s sending out a message of inspiration to the next generation in a way,” Kohli said.