Virat Kohli and Sunil Chhetri named in GQ’s 50 most Influential Young Indians list

India’s Test cricket captain Virat Kohli was named by GQ in their ‘50 most influential Young Indians - Artistes’ list. He was joined by India’s premier football star and the captain of the national team Sunil Chhetri. The two national sportspersons were joined by other popular stars like Musician Sahej Bakshi, Actors Ranveer Singh and Dulquer Salmaan and Singer Benny Dayal.

Virat’s journey from an angry young man into the darling of the nation began in 2013 when he climbed to the top of the ODI rankings. He is dubbed by many to be the heir to Sachin Tendulkar’s throne as the cricketer who carries the nation on his shoulders.

Interestingly, it is Virat who was quoted saying, “It was Tendulkar who carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, it is time we carry him” when asked about carrying Sachin around on his shoulders after the World Cup victory in 2011.

Virat’s selection in the list comes as no surprise. At 27, he is not only the captain of the Indian test cricket team and IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore but also an entrepreneur, a football club owner, a Tennis team owner. He co-owns the Football Club F.C. Goa who have made it to the semi-finals in both Season 1 and Season 2 of the ISL, ending up as runners up in 2015. He also co-owns the ITPL team UAE Royals.

His induction into GQ’s list is just another recognition bestowed on him. A UK-based magazine SportsPro rated Virat Kohli as the second most marketable athlete in 2014.

Sunil Chhetri during his stint with Kansas City Wizards in the United States

Sunil Chhetri has also found himself in the decorated list after scoring every single goal for the team in the recent 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. Anyone who follows Indian football closely knows that Sunil is probably one of the best India has produced.

The stats do back this claim as he has won the I-League four times with three different clubs, The AIFF Player of the Year award four times and is highest goal-scorer for the national team with 50 goals.

He is also one of the few Indian players to play in Europe when he signed with Sporting Lisbon’s B team. Currently, you can catch him on TV where he is part of the UEFA EURO pre-game analysis show Football Extra.