India’s star cricketer Virat Kohli’s Instagram account was restored on Friday morning, bringing an end to several hours of confusion and speculation among his 274 million followers.
The cricketer’s profile had disappeared overnight without any prior notice, triggering widespread discussion and theories on social media.
As of now, neither Kohli nor his management team has issued any official statement clarifying whether the temporary disappearance was intentional or the result of a technical glitch.
The sudden unavailability of his account led to a wave of reactions from fans, with social media platforms flooded with concerned messages, discussions, and memes. Many followers expressed surprise and worry over the unexpected blackout, while others speculated about possible reasons behind the move.
It was also noted that around the same time, the Instagram account of Kohli’s brother, Vikas Kohli, was deactivated. While Virat Kohli’s profile was restored by Friday morning, his brother’s account remained inactive at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, Kohli continues to remain one of India’s most accomplished cricketers. Currently active only in One Day Internationals, he has scored 28,215 international runs for India. Across formats, he maintains an average of 52.73 and has registered 85 international centuries along with 146 fifties.
Kohli is also closing in on several long-standing records held by legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Recently, he surpassed Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket. He now trails only Tendulkar, who accumulated 34,357 runs at an average of 48.52 across formats.
With 85 international hundreds, Kohli also stands second on the list of players with the most centuries in international cricket, behind Tendulkar, who leads the chart with 100 centuries.