Kohli becomes first cricketer to touch 100 million Instagram followers

ICC shared the news with a stylish picture of Kohli, as he flaunted his number 18 jersey.

"Virat Kohli - the first cricket star to hit 100 million followers on Instagram, (sic)" the post read.

Other members of this elite club include Hollywood actor and former pro-wrestler Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, American singer-songwriter Beyonce, and pop star Ariana Grande.

Kohli has so far posted 1,129 pictures on the app; his profile picture features wife and Bollywood actor-producer Anushka Sharma.

A large number of his posts are dedicated to his favorite sport — cricket. Kohli posts pictures from his training sessions, moments from the field, and also shares his intense workout routine with his followers.

Kohli's Instagram page also features brands that he endorses.

Kohli's superstardom on social media can be judged by the fact that he retained the top spot in the celebrity endorser rank in the 2020 Duff & Phelps celebrity brand valuation report.

This was the fourth consecutive time that he led the list, Mint reported last month.

His brand value was judged at $237.7 million despite the restrictions levied due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The report claimed 32-year-old Kohli's social media following surged at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.4%. Each post of his invited 2.8 million engagements.

Even when cricketing tournaments remained shut for a large part of 2020, Kohli signed two key partnerships — one with the edtech platform Great Learning and another with iQOO, a Chinese smartphone brand.