Virat Kohli is under pressure. More than he has ever been on the cricket field.
That’s because the cricketer will be singing — for the first time — the official anthem of Premier Futsal, of which he’s the brand ambassador. That’s not all; he will be singing to the tune of music director A.R.Rahman, who has composed the song.
“I’m under more pressure than on the field as I’m sitting next to a person I hugely admire,” said the cricketer, “Many of my childhood memories have a connection to the tunes of this man. I know how to prepare for cricket, but I have no clue about a recording session.”
The anthem, titled Naamhai Futsal , will be released with a video featuring the cricketer in a couple of weeks. Elaborating, A.R.Rahman said, “We’ve been working on the song for a week. Virat’s portion will be a rap… I will make it easier for him.”
It’s clear that the cricketer is an unabashed fan of the Oscar winner and one of his favourites is the popular Vandhe Maataram . “During any cricket game, the only song that gets everyone together is Vande Maataram — the version Rahman composed,” said the cricketer, whose favourite singer is Arijit Singh, “Apart from the national anthem, that’s the only time you hear 50,000 people singing. I connect to that song in a special way as I get goosebumps hearing it.”
Futsal is a relatively new game to India and is a quicker form of football played by a five-member team indoors.
The Premier Futsal, which will kickstart from mid July and feature eight teams from across the country, is being promoted by Xavier Britto of Indev Group.
