Virat Kohli joins Rafael Nadal in a star-studded owner lineup for E1 Raceboat Championship

Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli has joined popular sportspersons Rafael Nadal and Tom Brady in a star-studded owner lineup for the E1 Raceboat championship.

The 34-year-old owns ‘The Blue Rising Team’ in the boating competition, which aims to draw attention to the urgent need to address marine conservation and the threat posed by rising sea levels.

Kohli wants The Blue Rising team to raise the profile of sustainable sports to ensure our planet is protected for future generations:

In a statement, Kohli was quoted as saying by e1series.com:

“I want to inspire people to have a competitive spirit and to raise awareness about sustainability issues, something I am becoming more and more passionate about as we build a family. I can’t wait to cheer for our male and female pilots racing for our team.”

He continued:

“I’m looking forward to lining up against the likes of Tom Brady, Rafa Nadal, Sergio Perez, Steve Aoki, and Didier Drogba – we’re going electric, we’re going flying over the water and we’re going to try to win it for The Blue Rising!”

For the unversed, E1 races will be held over two days. The opening day is for practice sessions, and the second day is for the final. The majority of E1 events will be staged on Friday and Saturday. They event has been categorized into four phases – qualifying, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final.

A total of 12 teams (two pilots each) will compete in the E1 World Championship. There will be one winner at the end of the championship.

A total of seven out of 12 teams have already been confirmed. They are Team Blue Rising, Aoki Racking Team, Team Drogba, Team Nadal, Team Perez, Venice Racing Team, Team Brady.

The venues for the event are Jeddah, Middle East (Rounds 1 and 2 in January and February), Venice (Rounds 3 and 4 in April and May), Europe, Monaco and Rotterdam (Rounds 5, 6 and 7 in June, July and September).

Virat Kohli set to join Team India ahead of IND vs AUS World Cup game

Virat Kohli is set to join Team India ahead of their opening World Cup game between India and Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday (October 8).

The right-handed batter recently flew to Mumbai from Guwahati due to a personal emergency after the first warmup game against England was abandoned due to rain. He didn’t travel with the team to Trivandrum for the second warmup against the Netherlands.

Kohli enters the World Cup as India’s highest run-scorer in ODIs, with 13083 runs in 281 ODIs, including 47 tons and 66 half-centuries. In 2023, he has already amassed 612 runs in 16 ODIs at an average of 55.64, including three centuries.

The 34-year-old will now look to deliver for the Men in Blue as they aim to win their third ODI World Cup trophy. The hosts won their last 50-over World Cup in 2011 at home.

Click here to check out the 2023 ODI World Cup full schedule.