Virat Kohli says his ultimate aim in life is to have a sporting culture in India

[Savak]

Virat Kohli Says His Ultimate Aim in Life is to Have a Sporting Culture in India

Cricketnext | Updated: March 3, 2018, 1:30 PM IST

New Delhi: Skipper Virat Kohli is one of the most competitive players in world cricket right now, and wants to win every time he dons the Indian jersey. He strives for excellence and wants the Indian team to do well in each and every match. But Kohli’s passion for sports is just not restricted to India doing well in cricket. In fact, he wants wants the country to do well in other sports too.

In an interview with Times of India, Kohli revealed that his ambition in life is to develop a sporting culture in India. He said that a vibrant sporting culture will help people follow all sports. Kohli also stated that the next decade will see a rise in interest in sports across the country.

Kohli said, “My 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, ‘if I want to become a high-class footballer in India, I need to go there and train.”

The ace cricketer went on to say that cricket is more successful in India, when compared to football, because of the lack of top-level leagues in the latter.

“It’s 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, it’s creating awareness. People know Indian players. People even watched all those who played at the Under-17 World Cup. It’s all about visibility. Unless you get to show your talent, on television screens, it’s very difficult for people to start liking something.”

He added, “It happened with me as well. If our Under-19 World Cup wasn’t televised, maybe I wouldn’t have been sitting here. Our matches were televised and we got our chance to portray our talent. Then people started talking about us. The kind of visibility that the league has will play a major role.”

Link: https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/...have-a-sporting-culture-in-india-1677297.html

 

[badsha001]

Wouldn't be surprised if India becomes a powerhouse in Olympics in next 10-20 years...

 

[AMSS]

Wouldn't be surprised if India becomes a powerhouse in Olympics in next 10-20 years...

Easy plz.

 

[JaDed]

Wouldn't be surprised if India becomes a powerhouse in Olympics in next 10-20 years...

Lol,that takes years, and govn interferes a lot.

 

[JaDed]

Thanks to Murdoch/Ambani its improving, Pro Kabbadi and ISL have been really well received,hear similar things about hockey too but not sure.

 

[WengerOut]

This will take a paradigm shift in career perspective of people. Unless it is cricket , and that too mostly in North India ( from a South Indian ) , parents mostly want their children to take study seriously and get am office job. Getting into sports as a profession is not even in foetal stage.

 

[English August]

Wouldn't be surprised if India becomes a powerhouse in Olympics in next 10-20 years...

Er, no. India's position in sport will steadily improve, but it's 50+ years away from becoming a powerhouse.

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

Not going to be surprised if India is a sporting powerhouse in the next 30-40 years. Considering the population they have, they have massively underachieved. Good thing is they have people who can provide financial backing to start such sports initiatives.

 

[big_gamer007]

Wouldn't be surprised if India becomes a powerhouse in Olympics in next 10-20 years...

Bhai kyu aise comment karta hai jisse fir log aa kar bezatti kare India ki?

 

[JattMaula]

He should learn to behave decently on field first. Then tell us his delusional dreams.

 

[badsha001]

Lol,that takes years, and govn interferes a lot.

I don't remember it correctly but back in the days Chinese government decided that they need to get more medals in the Olympics and it took them only 20-25 years to achieve the results... Right now, India has the money and all the resources, they can definitely do it in less than 20 years if and only if government is serious about it.

 

[BreadPakoda]

I don't remember it correctly but back in the days Chinese government decided that they need to get more medals in the Olympics and it took them only 20-25 years to achieve the results... Right now, India has the money and all the resources, they can definitely do it in less than 20 years if and only if government is serious about it.

India has bigger problems to solve at the bottom of the pyramid right now. And doesn't have a dictatorship too that forces people into sports.

 

[Proactive_]

India has bigger problems to solve at the bottom of the pyramid right now. And doesn't have a dictatorship too that forces people into sports.

So all the other "problems" can't be solved while concurrently trying to improve India's sporting prowess?

 

[WengerOut]

So all the other "problems" can't be solved while concurrently trying to improve India's sporting prowess?

We can't force people to do military type training to achieve excellence in sports , but China did. That is the main difference.

 

[hafeezrocks]

India has so much poverty and sub-human living conditions yet people are obsessed with such fake show of Olympics Glory to prove their standing in the World. Ideally, only first world Nations should spend so lavishly on Olympics and other Sporting **.

 

[Proactive_]

We can't force people to do military type training to achieve excellence in sports , but China did. That is the main difference.

I'm pretty sure India can at least finish better than 67th with 2 medals in the Olympics without military training as well.

 

[WengerOut]

I'm pretty sure India can at least finish better than 67th with 2 medals in the Olympics without military training as well.

That is a realistic target. I was alluding to an earlier claim that India would be Olympic power.

 

[BreadPakoda]

So all the other "problems" can't be solved while concurrently trying to improve India's sporting prowess?

India can obviously keep improving at sports; however becoming an Olympic powerhouse is a different thing all together.

 

[Proactive_]

India can obviously keep improving at sports; however becoming an Olympic powerhouse is a different thing all together.

There is just something systematically wrong in the coverage of sports in the country as well tbh. Obviously they can keep improving but how would they when we have appalling conditions like the following for the players of just about every sport other than cricket?

I-League winners Aizawl FC’s U-15 footballers made to sit near train toilets

https://www.hindustantimes.com/foot...l-back-home/story-t6RRgHmQVx3ydbtFHjokBI.html

I also remember Kohli's marriage getting 100x the coverage that a 48 year old Viswanathan Anand's incredible victory in the World Rapid Chess Championship got and Vishy is one of the greatest sportspersons India has ever produced.

Who would want to take up sports other than cricket when they know that there is no support in the formative years of their career itself while U 19 cricketers are becoming crorepatis for bowling a few good spells at the start of their career.

 

[HuzaifaE]

Great words. Truly inspiring athlete, treats wearing the national kit like one should, as a privilege. India are very fortunate, had a man like Sachin inspiring two generations, now Kohli to inspire another.

I think this talk of a more versatile disparity in sporting interest and competitiveness is something that can echo for all the subcontinent.

There's no exposure to so many sports for so many, you can't dream of representing your country in a sport you don't have an interest in or know enough about, and if you can't dream of it, you can't do it.

We just see a handful of sports due to exposure and infrastructure, that's not something that will change easily.

That being said, with more development, there is a huge population for a few individuals to lead a breakthrough in a certain sport and inspiring others to follow becomes a trickle down effect.

There's a reason we have a barrage of left arm pacers, while India has a plethora of solid middle order batsman etc and that is not sport specific.

 

[Rightarmfast]

India has so much poverty and sub-human living conditions yet people are obsessed with such fake show of Olympics Glory to prove their standing in the World. Ideally, only first world Nations should spend so lavishly on Olympics and other Sporting **.

Study a bit of economics. Having a rich sports culture means all those underprivileged children will have sports as a backup. Thats called inclusivity. Obviously, not everyone can go to school. Having Olympics as a target ensures that these kids will have a target and thats how you remove poverty.

 

[big_gamer007]

India has so much poverty and sub-human living conditions yet people are obsessed with such fake show of Olympics Glory to prove their standing in the World. Ideally, only first world Nations should spend so lavishly on Olympics and other Sporting **.

Damn that’s the typical desi uncle attitude who doesn’t know anything about sport not having played any themselves.. Sports is very important in physical and mental well being of any person and should always be encouraged.. You don’t need to become an Olympic powerhouse but developing a sporting culture will be very much beneficiary for our society as whole..

 

[Sin Nombre]

Indian media needs to change for it to happen.


Shubhankar Sharma is leading a WGC tournament going into the final day today and maybe people can correct me but I don't think there has been any reasonable coverage of it.

Just to put it into context, if he manages to hold on to win this, it will be the single biggest win by a South Asian in an individual sport.

 

[English August]

I don't remember it correctly but back in the days Chinese government decided that they need to get more medals in the Olympics and it took them only 20-25 years to achieve the results... Right now, India has the money and all the resources, they can definitely do it in less than 20 years if and only if government is serious about it.

China is a dictatorship and India is a democracy. In China (like in former East Germany and USSR), authorities literally abused human rights to force athletes to practice and compete.

India will never do that. While winning medals is a good thing, it can't be done at the expense of abusing human rights. It's better to take 50 years and do it systematically.

 

[subbu]

Indian media needs to change for it to happen.


Shubhankar Sharma is leading a WGC tournament going into the final day today and maybe people can correct me but I don't think there has been any reasonable coverage of it.

Just to put it into context, if he manages to hold on to win this, it will be the single biggest win by a South Asian in an individual sport.

True.. especially News channels ..print media is little better

Hyderabad girl wins bronze in gymnastics World Cup

http://www.newindianexpress.com/cit...s-bronze-in-gymnastics-world-cup-1778630.html

HYDERABAD: Aruna Budda Reddy became the first Indian to win a bronze medal at a gymnastics World Cup after she clinched bronze in the vault event in Melbourne on Saturday. Aruna finished with a final score of 13.649, behind Slovenia’s Tjasa Kysslef and Australia’s Emily Whitehead. However, at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the qualification for the vault final (top eight) was 13.733.

The other Indian in the fray, Pranati Nayak, who had also qualified for the final, finished sixth. Rakesh Patra finished fourth in the men’s rings event

 

[Sidilicious]

Indian media needs to change for it to happen.


Shubhankar Sharma is leading a WGC tournament going into the final day today and maybe people can correct me but I don't think there has been any reasonable coverage of it.

Just to put it into context, if he manages to hold on to win this, it will be the single biggest win by a South Asian in an individual sport.

Easily the greatest win by an South Asian in Golf. Boy, I am waiting for him to tee off in 45 mins!!!

 

[badsha001]

China is a dictatorship and India is a democracy. In China (like in former East Germany and USSR), authorities literally abused human rights to force athletes to practice and compete.

India will never do that. While winning medals is a good thing, it can't be done at the expense of abusing human rights. It's better to take 50 years and do it systematically.

Oh please, don't give me a lecture about human rights... The less we talk about human rights in India better it is.

India has already hosted a Commonwealth games, all they need to do host Olympics in next 20 years and we will start seeing the results in term of medals...

 

[Tusker]

Damn that’s the typical desi uncle attitude who doesn’t know anything about sport not having played any themselves.. Sports is very important in physical and mental well being of any person and should always be encouraged.. You don’t need to become an Olympic powerhouse but developing a sporting culture will be very much beneficiary for our society as whole..

Not just health wise but look at the impact that sports has on an economy and how many jobs are created by the sports Industry. Think Nike think Adidas , Reebok etc ... how many jobs they create ( and Iam not talking just the athletes that they sponsor ).

 

[Sin Nombre]

True.. especially News channels ..print media is little better

Hyderabad girl wins bronze in gymnastics World Cup

http://www.newindianexpress.com/cit...s-bronze-in-gymnastics-world-cup-1778630.html

HYDERABAD: Aruna Budda Reddy became the first Indian to win a bronze medal at a gymnastics World Cup after she clinched bronze in the vault event in Melbourne on Saturday. Aruna finished with a final score of 13.649, behind Slovenia’s Tjasa Kysslef and Australia’s Emily Whitehead. However, at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the qualification for the vault final (top eight) was 13.733.

The other Indian in the fray, Pranati Nayak, who had also qualified for the final, finished sixth. Rakesh Patra finished fourth in the men’s rings event

That's a grade 3 gymnastics event, no one world class participates in these "world cups"

 

[Sin Nombre]

Easily the greatest win by an South Asian in Golf. Boy, I am waiting for him to tee off in 45 mins!!!

Not just golf but any major individual sport.

Tier-1 individual sports are tennis, running, golf and f1 and no South Asian has won anything at this level.

Actually, no Asian outside of Japan, China and Korea has.

 

[Sin Nombre]

Not just health wise but look at the impact that sports has on an economy and how many jobs are created by the sports Industry. Think Nike think Adidas , Reebok etc ... how many jobs they create ( and Iam not talking just the athletes that they sponsor ).

Sporting culture is a must for a nation to be prosperous.

India and our friends in South Asia have a problem with a poor diet and resulting issues with diabetes, high blood pressure. We need our younger population to get more active.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Like someone already said being one of the poorest countries in the world, India shoud set its priorities right and invest money in uplifting its millions from poverty line. In a country where people don't have food to eat and a house to live, Olympic medals and formula one races mean nothing.

 

[Sidilicious]

Not just golf but any major individual sport.

Tier-1 individual sports are tennis, running, golf and f1 and no South Asian has won anything at this level.

Actually, no Asian outside of Japan, China and Korea has.

But Mexico WGC is not a majors (like the tennis grand slams). It is a tier below that, so claiming that no Asian has won an equivalent championship would be incorrect.

Vijay Singh from Fiji has won a few majors in golf.

 

[Sin Nombre]

But Mexico WGC is not a majors (like the tennis grand slams). It is a tier below that, so claiming that no Asian has won an equivalent championship would be incorrect.

Vijay Singh from Fiji has won a few majors in golf.

Fiji is in Oceania.

Anyways you misread me. I said no Asian outside of Japan, Korea and China has won anything as big in an individual sport. Matsuyama from Japan and YE Yang from Korea have won big in golf, and Li Na in tennis from China.

 

[Indiafan]

Like someone already said being one of the poorest countries in the world, India shoud set its priorities right and invest money in uplifting its millions from poverty line. In a country where people don't have food to eat and a house to live, Olympic medals and formula one races mean nothing.

you do not have a magic wand and eliminate poverty. Nor do you eliminate poverty by giving hand outs and charity. Sports culture is an alternate means of income for many people who are not academically inclined and can attract sponsors.

 

[Sidilicious]

Fiji is in Oceania.

Anyways you misread me. I said no Asian outside of Japan, Korea and China has won anything as big in an individual sport. Matsuyama from Japan and YE Yang from Korea have won big in golf, and Li Na in tennis from China.

I would also add KJ Choi to the list. But, yeah I get your point. One of the biggest wins in golf by far. Anyways, he will be teeing off anytime now.

 

[subbu]

That's a grade 3 gymnastics event, no one world class participates in these "world cups"

I mean most of these girls are from poor families either in gymanistics, wrestling or boxing etc.. they choose sports as career reason could for govt jobs and passion too

In way sports culture helping in career building and better financial security... but still a long way to go

 

[CricketCartoons]

India has so much poverty and sub-human living conditions yet people are obsessed with such fake show of Olympics Glory to prove their standing in the World. Ideally, only first world Nations should spend so lavishly on Olympics and other Sporting **.

Sporting glory and medals tally is for the middle class who feel more pain when the foreign club football team they follow loses, than when farmers commit suicide in their own country.

 

[dauntless]

LOL sporting culture in India.most of the people are obsessed with good marks and a job.It won't happen for another 100 years.Good luck to him though

 

[rhony]

Olympics are over rated. He probably means hockey, football, tennis, badminton getting similar viewership as in cricket. Indians are decent in badminton and tennis (doubles) already. China has put in a lot of focus on football and India should too. Will take a few decades

 

[Bhaijaan]

Sporting glory and medals tally is for the middle class who feel more pain when the foreign club football team they follow loses, than when farmers commit suicide in their own country.

Indeed. Such a shame.

India's middle class is why India is as bad as it is.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Forget sports, if only India had a runner culture. Where people could be seen running on the streets early in the morning and 10k, half marathons get popular. Instead sporting culture for now means seeing guys wearing manchester united shirts with a spare tyre for waist and sagging fat below the belly button.

 

[jusarrived]

Like someone already said being one of the poorest countries in the world, India shoud set its priorities right and invest money in uplifting its millions from poverty line. In a country where people don't have food to eat and a house to live, Olympic medals and formula one races mean nothing.

There is no place for a sport like cricket , any entertainment for that matter till we everyone is above poverty line ? lets stop all the fun untill all our problems are fixed

 

[Bhaijaan]

Forget sports, if only India had a runner culture. Where people could be seen running on the streets early in the morning and 10k, half marathons get popular. Instead sporting culture for now means seeing guys wearing manchester united shirts with a spare tyre for waist and sagging fat below the belly button.

Bang on.

What is the point of winning medals ion elite high investment sports like shooting really in a country farmers are having to dump tonnes of tomatoes because selling them at Rs 2 per kg is worse.

I feel no pride in anything ever won in elite sports. That money should be put elsewhere.

China is winning medals but look at how they have transformed their country first.

 

[TM Riddle]

Bang on.

What is the point of winning medals ion elite high investment sports like shooting really in a country farmers are having to dump tonnes of tomatoes because selling them at Rs 2 per kg is worse.

I feel no pride in anything ever won in elite sports. That money should be put elsewhere.

China is winning medals but look at how they have transformed their country first.

How do you propose we do that? And while we are at it , why stop at Sports only ? All other means of entertainment should be temporarily banned as well starting from Bollywood.
And it's interesting that you mentioned the ongoing agrarian distress. What do you think are the reasons behind it? Why do you think transferring sporting infrastructure funds towards agriculture would solve the agriculture problem?

 

[PakLFC]

There is great talent in every country. The most difficult part is always to shine and polish that talent to a world class level. Plenty of Footballing talent in Baluchistan and Karachi but we're obsessed with Cricket, this is the reason other Sports are neglected. Pak needs to invest in Football and other main stream sports like Tennis and Golf. No one cares about Hockey or Squash, Kohli wants what everyone does for their country but outside Cricket he has little power to influence matters.

 

[DeadBall]

And they said that there weren't any wrist slitting Indians.

 

[hafeezrocks]

Forget sports, if only India had a runner culture. Where people could be seen running on the streets early in the morning and 10k, half marathons get popular. Instead sporting culture for now means seeing guys wearing manchester united shirts with a spare tyre for waist and sagging fat below the belly button.

)

Very funny but right on, never understood the fanatic Support among Desis for far away Football Clubs in Europe that neither have any desi players or desi connection but they are more patriot towards those clubs than the people living in the cities where the clubs are based.

Sporting Culture among the online burgers kids is buying expensive Footvall jerseys and show off their support to foreign clubs, none of these softies ever play it hard under the sun and mud.