Virat Kohli surrounded by US security personnel and guards on horseback as he walks in: ‘Even Salman Khan doesn’t have…’

The security in the United States of America is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the T20 World Cup is a hassle-free tournament without any interruptions or any unforeseen circumstances. The New York Police Department is keeping a keen eye on the matches and the security arrangements leading to the build-up, carefully monitoring the movement of fans or any outside obstacles that may cause any disruptions to players or teams, more so in the situation of Virat Kohli, who is a global icon and whose craze has reached the NYC shores irrespective of the popularity of cricket in the country.

Kohli is the face that runs the place, and no one understands it better than the officials at the T20 World Cup. Kohli arrived in the USA on Friday and lined up with the rest of his teammates ahead of India’s T20 World Cup opener against Ireland on Wednesday. Although Kohli missed the warm-up against Bangladesh and skipped practice on Sunday, he was guarded well and strong. In a video that has gone viral, Kohli could be seen walking to join his teammates with a bat in hand and surrounded by at least 6 security personnel. A couple of guards on horseback were also spotted, indicating just how big a deal he is to the World Cup.

Watch the video below:

The USA security may or may not have deployed special treatment for Kohli but the fact that no other Indian player was so well-guarded points out just how much Kohli means to the tournament. Since landing in the States, guys like Suryakumar Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube have roamed around NYC and visited the famous Times Square where they had a good time lunching and exploring.

Also Read: Virat Kohli opens up on playing cricket in USA ahead of T20 World Cup

A glimpse of just how serious and concerned the USA security is during the T20 World Cup was caught during the IND vs BAN warm-up game when a fan invaded the field and hugged Rohit Sharma. While it may be a common sight in other parts of the world, the New York Police dealt with it with a no-nonsense attitude. Two police personnel brutally took down the invader, tackled him onto the ground and took him away even as Rohit urged them to be easy on him. The security in the US is so strict that, for all we know, the intruder may be deported back to the country he came from and might have his visa cancelled.

Virat Kohli opens up on playing cricket in USA

Cricket being played in the USA, let alone the T20 World Cup is a huge boost for the sport in the country. A nation that thrives on NFL, NBA and Baseball as its three most followed sporting events, the addition of cricket promises to go a long way in making the USA a force in world cricket in the years to come. Even for someone like Kohli, who has played in pretty much all cricket-friendly nations, the thought of representing India in the States is something he never saw coming until now.

“Honestly, I never thought we would be playing cricket in any form in the States. But now it’s a reality. And that tells you about the growing impact of the sport in the world and the United States is more than willing to accept the change and be probably the first ones on a global scale to accept it, in a way, with the World Cup,” Kohli recently said in a video message.