'Looking forward to the day we play together'

The mutual admiration between Novak Djokovic and Virat Kohli have been effusive in their praise for each other in recent days.

Djokovic, ahead of the Australian Open 2024, shared that he and Kohli have been engaged in a continuous exchange of text messages.

In response, King Kohli shared the captivating story of their social media encounters in a video posted by BCCI.

'I got in touch with Novak very organically; I was just looking at his profile once on Instagram, and I happened to press the message button. I thought I'd just say hello, maybe,' revealed Kohli.

'And then I saw a message from him in my DM already. I never opened it myself. So, the first time I saw my own messages, I saw he messaged me himself. And I was like, let me just check if it's a fake account or something like that. But then I checked it again, and it was legitimate.

'And then, yeah, we got talking. We keep exchanging messages every now and then. I congratulated him for all his amazing achievements.'

Kohli and Djoko discovered common ground, frequently exchanging congratulatory messages on their respective accomplishments. They both epitomise supreme fitness, excelling even in their mid-30s.

Djokovic also extended his congratulations to Kohli on his 50th ODI century, a gesture that deeply resonated with the cricketing great.

'When I got my 50th century recently, he put out a story and sent me a very nice message as well. So, there's been mutual admiration, respect. It's really nice to connect with global athletes who are excelling at a high level.

'And I think, collectively, what I think about it is sending out a message of inspiration to the next generation in a way. I have a lot of respect for him, his journey, his passion for fitness, something that I dearly follow myself and believe in a lot. So there's a lot to connect on.'

Djoko acknowledged the video and expressed his gratitude to Kohli, extending an invitation to the cricket maestro for a joint activity. Whether it involves the bat and ball or the tennis court was not clarified by the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

'Thank you for these kind words, Virat Kohli,' Djokovic, who seems to have taken a keen interest in cricket recently, tweeted.

'Looking forward to the day we play together.'