India need to produce superstars like Virat Kohli in football, reckons Tim Cahill

Tim Cahill, the Australian football legend, reckons that India need to produce superstars like Virat Kohli in football. The 32-year-old Virat is being deemed as one of the greats of the game due to his exploits across all the three formats. Apart from hammering runs, the Delhi-born Virat is also India’s most successful Test captain and has won the Men in Blue plenty of bilateral series.

The 41-year-old Cahill, who’s an ambassador of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy involved in organising the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, lauded Virat on the eve of the inauguration of the fourth completed venue – the Al-Rayyan Stadium.

Cahill praises Virat Kohli

“You look at the way cricket pretty much inspires the nation [India] by itself. Virat Kohli and [his] boys are superstars and now try and create those superstars within the ISL, with the teams, the games, the national team. To recreate that with football would be the ultimate dream for India because there is a massive passion for it,” Cahill was quoted as saying in Sportstar.

Cahill, who’s also scored the greatest number of goals, 50, for Australia, put forth his opinions on the World Cup and the importance of the tournament to the Indian fans.

“I think the greatest thing for India having the World Cup in this part of the world, is how close it is… being so accessible to be one of the biggest shows on earth. [It is] literally on their doorstep – to not only watch it on TV but get on the plane and be in Qatar in an hour,” he stated.

“It has great support and I feel it is good to have those hopes and dreams [of] potentially one day [not only] being part of the World Cup, but also having it on your doorstep,” Cahill added.

Virat is currently in Australia, playing in the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy at the Adelaide Oval. The right-hander managed to score a half-century in the first innings and was looking good for a century. However, after a mix-up with vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, he got run out against the run of play.