{"id":4147,"date":"2026-04-21T04:23:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T04:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/djokovic-says-virat-kohli-drawn-him-to-cricket-india-trip-next"},"modified":"2026-04-21T04:23:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T04:23:15","slug":"djokovic-says-virat-kohli-drawn-him-to-cricket-india-trip-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/djokovic-says-virat-kohli-drawn-him-to-cricket-india-trip-next","title":{"rendered":"Djokovic Says Virat Kohli Drawn Him to Cricket, India Trip Next?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Novak Djokovic used the spotlight at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards to underline his closeness to Indian cricket, praising Virat Kohli and speaking warmly about the \u201clove and respect\u201d he feels from fans across the world. The tennis great, who was co-hosting the night with freestyle skiing star Eileen Gu, also hinted that a trip to India is now on his near-term agenda.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Novak Djokovic attended the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards as a host.<\/li>\n<li>Eileen Gu was his co-host at the ceremony.<\/li>\n<li>Djokovic praised Virat Kohli and said Kohli sparked his interest in cricket.<\/li>\n<li>Djokovic shared that he has felt \u201ca calling\u201d to visit India for the past couple of years.<\/li>\n<li>He said his message to India is love, respect, appreciation\u2014and \u201csee you very soon in India.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Carlos Alcaraz was named Sportsman of the Year at Laureus 2026.<\/li>\n<li>Aryna Sabalenka was named Sportswoman of the Year at Laureus 2026.<\/li>\n<li>The awards ceremony took place at Cibeles Palace in Madrid.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On the red carpet ahead of the awards, Djokovic was asked what he wanted to tell India. He said his message has always been gratitude for the support he has received from Indian tennis and sports followers over the years, adding that he has met many of them during his time on the tour.<\/p>\n<p>He then made his intentions even clearer, saying he wants to head to India soon. Djokovic described it as a genuine pull he has felt for the last couple of years, and suggested he hopes to attend in person\u2014whether that means hosting an event, playing a match, or simply being there to connect with people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy message is always love, respect, and appreciation,\u201d Djokovic said, explaining that he truly feels close to the Indian public. He added that he wants to tell fans to expect him \u201cvery soon in India,\u201d because he wants to go there himself.<\/p>\n<h3>Kohli credited for sparking Djokovic\u2019s cricket interest<\/h3>\n<p>Djokovic also revealed that Kohli\u2019s influence goes beyond admiration. The Serbian champion said Kohli is a friend he respects deeply, and claimed that Kohli was effectively the reason he began following cricket in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>He explained that he had not followed the sport initially, but after connecting with Kohli\u2019s world, his interest grew. Djokovic added that they keep in touch and suggested that when he visits India, Kohli could join him for a bit of fun\u2014mixing tennis and cricket together and celebrating sport with a positive vibe.<\/p>\n<p>In the background, the Laureus 2026 ceremony itself was dominated by tennis as the global stage celebrated top performers from across athletics and beyond. Carlos Alcaraz was crowned Sportsman of the Year, while Aryna Sabalenka received the Sportswoman of the Year honour.<\/p>\n<p>The star-studded event was hosted at the iconic Cibeles Palace in Madrid, with the night marking a broad celebration of excellence across international sport. And while the awards spotlight moved across disciplines, Djokovic\u2019s remarks ensured cricket\u2014and Kohli\u2019s impact\u2014stayed firmly in the frame.<\/p>\n<p>For fans tracking the IPL, keep an eye on live updates, match coverage, the schedule, the points standings, and the ongoing competition for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Novak Djokovic used the spotlight at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards to underline his closeness to Indian cricket, praising Virat Kohli and speaking warmly&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Djokovic on Virat Kohli, IPL Hints of India Trip","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Djokovic praises Virat Kohli and hints at an India trip ahead\u2014sparking fresh IPL buzz as the tennis star credits global love and respect for cricket.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Djokovic on Virat Kohli, IPL Hints of India Trip<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Djokovic praises Virat Kohli and hints at an India trip ahead\u2014sparking fresh IPL buzz as the tennis star credits global love and respect for cricket.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/djokovic-says-virat-kohli-drawn-him-to-cricket-india-trip-next\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Djokovic on Virat Kohli, IPL Hints 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