Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella welcomed Virat Kohli to LinkedIn after the former India captain made his debut on the professional networking platform, drawing attention to the cricketer’s expanding business interests beyond the field.
responded to Kohli’s first LinkedIn post with a message congratulating him on his latest venture. “My feed just got even more interesting. Welcome to LinkedIn, Virat! And congrats on your next chapter with one8world,” Nadella wrote.
Kohli’s arrival on LinkedIn, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft, was accompanied by a post outlining his ambitions for Indian sport and his plans to develop homegrown brands for an international audience.
The 37-year-old cricketer also highlighted his association with Agilitas, a sports goods manufacturing company and one8world, marking another step in his business journey alongside his cricket career.
In his debut post, spoke about his long-standing ambition to see a wider range of sports gain recognition and participation in India.
“I’ve always wanted to see an India where every sport is followed, celebrated, and played. Today, that vision feels closer than ever. A new generation is proving that India can produce world-class athletes and build brands for the global stage,” he wrote.
Kohli also described his vision for an end-to-end sports platform originating in India, covering manufacturing, consumer brands and sports distribution. He said India could play a role in shaping the future of global sport rather than merely participating in it.
The former India captain announced that he had joined Agilitas as an investor and taken on the roles of co-founder and co-creator at one8world.
Kohli said the one8 brand was built around pushing boundaries, raising standards and approaching challenges differently. He also recalled seeing one8world come to life in front of thousands of people in his home city as a significant moment.
“The vision is clear. It’s time to build something that will outlive all of us. That’s the journey we’re on,” he added.
Kohli’s entry into comes as he continues to explore opportunities outside professional cricket. His profile lists his positions as a professional athlete with the Indian cricket team, co-founder at one8world and investor at Agilitas.
His first post attracted considerable attention, with reports indicating that his follower count crossed 240,000 within 24 hours of his debut.
The move also places Kohli among several prominent Indian cricketers who have established a presence on the professional networking platform, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Robin Uthappa.
Unlike a conventional social media update centred on cricket, Kohli’s opening message focused on entrepreneurship, sports development and building Indian brands with global ambitions.
Since making his senior debut in 2008, the Delhi cricketer has played 123 Tests, 317 ODIs and 125 T20Is. Kohli, who has retired from Tests and T20Is, has accumulated 28,257 runs across the three formats.
As the captain of the Indian cricket team, Kohli has led the country to a historic Test series win in Australia in 2018-19and kept India at the top of the ICC Test rankings for 42 consecutive months from October 2016 to March 2020.
He also led India to the Champions Trophy title in 2017 and the semifinals in 2019.
India reached the final of the 2021 (WTC) under Kohli’s captaincy. India, however, lost the summit clash against New Zealand.
