‘Full-time NRI, part-time cricketer’ Virat Kohli’s ‘London’ memes flood the internet

One of the pillars of India’s batting lineup, Virat Kohli had a forgettable home season as he managed only 192 runs in 10 innings of five Test matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

Kohli flopped against Bangladesh but his poor batting went under the radar as India won the series 2-0. His bad form continued against the Kiwis as he scored only 93 runs in six innings but as India suffered a historic 0-3 whitewash against the Blackcaps, his barren patch has become the talk of the town.

Furious with his performances, the fans are questioning his commitment to the Indian team as he skipped domestic matches, which could have been an ideal preparation for him.

Fans expected Kohli to come good in the second innings of the third Test against New Zealand but he got out to the left-arm spin of Azaj Patel, with his forward defence letting him down once again.

After India lost two early wickets, Kohli was supposed to hold one end but his dismissal contributed to another collapse, which India suffered throughout the series.

When a senior batter is going through an extended lean patch, the fans start finding fault in everything they do, both on and off the field. Kohli’s frequent London trips in the last few months have become a thorn in his flesh.

There are tons of memes on the internet, making fun of Kohli for travelling to London too often after almost every series.

Kohli has become the face of the iconic dialogue from Golmaal, with Vasuli bhai’s famous dialogue getting a new version – “Jaldi out kar, London nikalna hai (Dismiss me quickly, I have to travel to London).”

People are calling him a “full-time NRI and part-time cricketer” as he has spent the majority of his time in London than in India.

Virat Kohli ;
We Forgot Bro is now a resident of London 😶#INDvNZ #INDvsNZTEST #ViratKohli #retire #BCCI pic.twitter.com/Jc6ZWti8iR

— Dr Artistic Soul (@dr_artisticsoul) November 3, 2024

NRI player Virat Kohli leaving for london after whitewash by NZ 3-0 pic.twitter.com/jpuhdVHziT

— Nikhil Singh (@NikhilSinghBJP) November 3, 2024

Virat Kohli travels 7000 kms just to make 90 runs in 6 innings of the test series. pic.twitter.com/mmLyhNq07S

— Sunil the Cricketer (@1sInto2s) November 3, 2024

Virat kohli be like :- jaldi out kro kal subah #London niklna hai#INDWvNZW #ViratKohli #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/zoQltIvTRj

— Kapil_Tilker (@Kapil_Tilker) November 3, 2024

King kohli to bowlers-jaldi out kar… kal subha london nikalna hai pic.twitter.com/iX19iJIVl6

— HUMANITY HARBOR (@Humanity920) November 3, 2024

Virat kohli waving back to fans on his way to London #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/xiAPfLjgjU

— A.J. (@beingabhi2712) November 3, 2024

Don’t blame Virat Kohli for getting out for 1 run,
he got out just playing 7 balls because he had a London flight ✈️ to catch up with. pic.twitter.com/MEAyvpNerJ

— Truth (@Satya258108) November 4, 2024

We all should learn how to prioritise family from Kohli.

He lives in London. After several requests from BCCI agrees to play test series. He doesn’t score runs and gets out early so that game could be finished as early as possible and flies to London again to take care fam.❤️ pic.twitter.com/QbYuoVYD8V

— Mr. Beer🇮🇳 (@Saurabh10010788) November 4, 2024

Fans expect Kohli to score runs and help India win matches but he hasn’t played one match-wining knock since the T20 World Cup final.

One can understand fans’ frustration with Kohli but they can’t tell him whether he travels to London or any other city. He has a young family and obviously, he would like to spend his free time with them. We shouldn’t criticise him for that.

Also, he wasn’t the only senior player who didn’t take part in domestic matches in the build-up to the home Test season. Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah didn’t participate in the Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup.