Virat Kohli Narrates Story Of First Message From Novak Djokovic

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday shared a video of Virat Kohli, the spine of India's batting border, revealing the cricketer's bond with Serbian tennis sensation Novak Djokovic. The video tells the story of how both top seeds got in touch and became friends. In the video, Virat Kohli narrates the story of first conversation between both athletes saying "I got in touch with Novak very organically. I was just looking at his Instagram profile once and happened to press his 'Message' button. I thought I would say him 'Hello, maybe.' Then I saw a message from him in my DM already. I never saw it myself."

"The first time I saw my own messages, I saw that he had messaged me himself. Then I was like, Let's check if it is a fake account or not. But then I checked it and it was legitimate. Then we started talking, exchanging messages every now and then. I would congratulate him on all of his fantastic achievements," Virat said.

"There has been mutual admiration and respect. It is nice to connect with global athletes who are excelling at a high level. Collectively, it is sending out a message of inspiration to the next generation in a way," Virat added.

Lauding Djokovic for his immense passion for the sport and fitness, Virat Kohli expressed his wish to meet the Serbian tennis star.

"I have a lot of respect for him and his journey; his passion for fitness is something I follow and believe in myself. So there is a lot to connect on. Hopefully, when he comes to India or if I happen to be in a country where he is playing, I will catch up with him and just chill out and have a cup of coffee," the cricketer added.

Talking about Steve Smith and Novak Djokovicthe's recent meeting at the Australian Open, Virat Kohli said "I think Steve did well to return his serve. When you play cricket and have hand-eye coordination, you feel tempted to say, "Yeah, I can do this (play racquet sports). But I have seen racquet sports and how fast these serves are. So I have no chance with it. It will be nice to do that (play tennis) with him as well. The only thing I can maybe teach him is how to hold a bat."