"Virat Kohli 3rd Most Followed Athlete...": India Star The Highlight In Cricket's Olympic Inclusion

Cricket is part of Olympic, finally. The widely followed sport is back at the quadrennial extravaganza after a gap of 128 years. Cricket was part of the 1900 Olympics. At the 2028 Los Angles Olympics, cricket (men's and women's T20Is) will return to the sporting spectacle. Along with lacrosse (sixes), baseball/softball, flag football and squash, cricket is part of the additional sports for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The decision was officially announced on Monday and arguably cricket current biggest star, Virat Kohli, found a mention. There was even a hint that Virat Kohli's huge fan following might have swayed the organisers in including cricket in Olympics.

During the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 141st session, during which the decision to include the sport in Olympics was taken, Niccolo Campriani, the Sports Director of the Los Angeles 2028 Organising Committee said: "My friend here Virat Kohli, he is the third most followed athlete in the world on social media with 340 million followers. That's more than LeBron James (NBA basketball star), Tom Brady (American football icon) and Tiger Woods (American golf legend) combined. It is a ultimate win-win situation for LA28, IOC and cricket community as cricket will be showcased on a global stage, in order to grow it beyond traditional cricketing nations and give it access to untapped communities of athletes and fans."

LA Sports Director on King Kohli:

Virat Kohli is one of the main reasons behind Cricket's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic. pic.twitter.com/upCYsQsI2a

It is no surprise that Virat's name was mentioned during the event as he is considered as one of the best batters of all time. With more than 25,000 international runs, 77 centuries and