Sachin Tendulkar wrote a tribute to Virat Kohli for TIME magazine after the India skipper was included in their ‘100 Most Influential People’ list for 2018.

Kohli was one of six sports people to make the list, which included Roger Federer (tennis), Kevin Durant (basketball), Chloe Kim (snowboarding), Adam Rippon (figure skating) and JJ Watt (American football).

The 29-year-old is regarded as one of the best cricketers in the world. He has captained India to the No 1 spot in the ODI and Test rankings and third on the T20 rankings.

Not only has his leadership boosted the aggressiveness in the side, but he has carried the team with incredible performances. Since becoming skipper of his national side across all formats, Kohli has risen to No 2 on the Test rankings, No 1 on the ODI standings and eighth on the T20I rankings.

In 2017 he scored 1,464 ODI runs at 76.84 and 1, 059 Test runs at 75.64.

He also tops the all-time scorer’s list in the IPL with 4,619 runs at 38.17, where he has played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2008.

Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar wrote a Kohli tribute in TIME after the India batsman was named in the prestigious list of ‘100 Most Influential People’ 

‘The U19 World Cup in 2008 was very important for India, as it would define the next bunch of youngsters who would go on to represent the nation,’ Tendulkar wrote.

‘That was the first time I watched this young, passionate player lead India.

‘Today Virat Kohli is a household name and a champion in cricket. Even back then, his hunger for runs and consistency was remarkable, something that has become the hallmark of his game.

‘Every sportsman knows what it’s like to have good spells and bad ones too.

‘Virat took the criticism he faced during a disappointing West Indies series [in 2016] and returned home with a goal: to improve not only his technique but also his fitness level. He’s never looked back.

‘My father always told me that if I focused on what I was doing, over time, detractors would become followers.

‘Virat seems to have a similar outlook when it comes to his game.’

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Photo: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images