One of the largest profiles on social media giant Instagram vanished overnight, as Virat Kohli’s account with over 270 million followers on the platform went radio silent in the early hours of Friday, to the shock and consternation of many.
The Indian cricket legend has a quiet but steady presence on the app, where he posts pictures alongside his wife, Anushka Sharma, and also keeps up with brand partnership obligations. It was also the platform where he announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2025, which was one of the most interacted-with posts of the year as he stepped away from the most prestigious format of the game.
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With over 274 million followers, Kohli’s absence comes as a shock to his many fans, who reacted with a mixture of concern, confusion, and humour – including bombarding the comments of the official Instagram profile on the platform, asking Anushka Sharma where the account has gone, and replying on Kohli's account on X, which remains active for the moment.
At the time of deactivation, Kohli stood behind football megastars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in terms of athletes with the most Instagram followers, and ranked as the Asian person with the most followers on the platform as well. These numbers serve to indicate just how big a presence he had established on the social media app, and why it comes as such a surprise to many.
{{/usCountry}}At the time of deactivation, Kohli stood behind football megastars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in terms of athletes with the most Instagram followers, and ranked as the Asian person with the most followers on the platform as well. These numbers serve to indicate just how big a presence he had established on the social media app, and why it comes as such a surprise to many.
{{/usCountry}}While it remains a mystery whether this deactivation is some sort of accidental account suspension triggered by Meta itself or whether Kohli is taking a conscious break from the platform, as a manner of a digital detox.
Whatever the case, Kohli is a player who knows what works for him on a physical and mental front when it comes to his well-being, and has never been one to shy away from taking matters into his own hands when it comes to maintaining the sanctity of his family and of his process on the cricket field.
Kohli remains in strong form in the ODI format, the only one where he continues to represent India and one where he has faced immense success in recent months. Upon the conclusion of the series against New Zealand this month, the focus will now turn to the IPL, where he will try to defend Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden title from 2025 upon to season’s start in late March.