Star batter Virat Kohli also visited Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain just a day after India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s trip, as well as the third ODI against New Zealand on January 18. By going to the temple a day before the series decider, Virat Kohli copied his coach’s behavior and asking for the shrine’s blessing.
Going back, it is true that Virat Kohli has not necessarily been labeled as a regular visitor to Hindu temples and a practitioner of the related ceremonies, particularly during the initial period of his marriage with Anushka Sharma. Nevertheless, there has been a pretty obvious change in his spiritual journey over the years.
Kohli’s spiritual visit at Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain
Kohli’s spiritual visits have included one to Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram, and discussions with Sri Premanand Maharaj among others. The Mahakaleshwar Temple has also witnessed Kohli taking part in the Bhasma Aarti on several occasions, including March 2023 and early 2025.
Before the last ODI, Kohli went to the temple by himself, leaving behind Anushka Sharma, who usually accompanies him on such religious occasions.
The Bhasma Aarti at Nandi Hall was attended by Virat Kohli, where he was observed singing and praying together with the priests who were there. After the aarti was done, he prayed and the temple officials welcomed him with warmth.
Kohli’s visit was surrounded by a lot of local and security personnel, but he was not frequenting religious places during the early decade of his career
Virat Kohli’s spiritual evolution from a ‘non-believer’ to a believer
Kohli was born and bred in a Hindu family in Delhi, but he quickly got the reputation of a fiery and aggressive player, who paid a lot of attention to fitness, non-vegetarian food, and cricket.
A famous quote from that time of his life, “Do I look like the puja-paath types to you,” indicated that he had a very relaxed attitude towards religion and religious practices.
But there was a slow but sure change noticed through the late 2010s, especially after his wedding to Anushka Sharma. They have been to many Hindu temples and ashrams, ever since 2017, as a couple seeking spiritual help.
They must have made a number of pilgrimages to Uttarakhand to see Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram, where Kohli sometimes even gets his phone wallpaper changed to a picture of the guru.
Kohli has also on numerous occasions, in person, received blessings from the spiritual teacher, Shri Premanand Maharaj, and many believe that the latter’s influence helped the former to adopt a more serene and balanced-in-thought approach to both life and cricket.
Virat Kohli experiencing a solid cricketing streak
The cricketing era of Virat Kohli has still not come to an end as he is still in the spotlight, especially in the ODI format post his retirement from Test and T20 formats.
Kohli has so far played excellent international matches starting from a 74-run innings in the third ODI in Australia. Then came his two centuries in the South Africa ODIs and another hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite besides the first hundred.
The New Zealand series managed to create a little dip in Kohli’s performance graph, with the second ODI being his worst game. Nevertheless, he is surely eager to recover his former self right away and get back into the groove in the last game. The series decider is going to be held in Indore on January 18 where Kohli will be so determined to finish the series with glory and, hence, will do everything to make it happen.
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