Abhishek Sanyal is Calcutta’s Virat Kohli. Not in the square cut, but in the hair cut. Not in the clip off the hips, but in the beard clip.... Ever since t2 spotted his Virat look and put him on the cover, “everyone” he meets calls him Virat, not Abhishek! This time, t2 met him armed with printouts of Virat Kohli pictures and the MBA from IISWBM played along sportingly for a Maidan shoot. Pictures clicked, the 26-year-old Behala boy then updated us about Being Virat Kohli!

Being from your friends’ circle, one knows that you developed quite a fan following after t2 unveiled you as Calcutta’s Virat (on March 31, above)...

More than 200 friend requests on Facebook, 50 Instagram followers, countess phone calls and messages from unknown people on Facebook — that sums up the day when t2 suddenly made me a star! People with whom I had not spoken for years called me that day. I had to turn off my Internet for some time because people kept WhatsApping me. More than people talking about how I look similar to Virat, people congratulated me for making it to the t2 cover (laughs)! Friends and relatives who stay in other parts of India and also abroad called me. My neighbours came over with the paper. An English teacher of mine, whom I had last met 10 years back, got my number from someone and called up!
 

And more people now call you ‘Virat’ than Abhishek, right?

Yes, people rarely address me as Abhishek these days. Previously it was my friends who called me Virat, but after being featured in t2, everyone calls me Virat! In fact, after t2 called Virat the nation’s heart-throb, friends and family have now started calling me ‘the nation’s heart-throb’ too, which is very embarrassing!
 
Any instances of strangers commenting on your Virat look?

That happens almost every day (laughs). The most recent one was in the Metro. I was travelling with a friend of mine when suddenly an armyman told me, ‘You look exactly like Virat Kohli. Kohli has a better body because he gyms, but your face is very similar to his’. Then he requested me for a selfie! Before I could even react, he took a selfie and got down at the next station, Jatin Das Park. 

A lot of times I have overheard people whispering to each other about my Virat look. At a chemist’s, I overheard a father telling his daughter, ‘I think this guy was featured in t2....’
 

How conscious are you of your looks now?

I think I am unconsciously conscious (laughs). I always had a beard, but now I consciously keep one. Last year, while trimming my beard I had accidentally cut off a bit, so I had to shave off my entire beard. It takes around three weeks for my beard to grow back. Wherever I went in those three weeks, people made fun of me, abused me and some fellow-fans even blamed me for Manchester United’s defeat in a match against Arsenal!

So, who is the man behind your Virat look, from hair cut to beard trim?

There is a non-Bengali guy in my para salon who trims my beard and gives me this haircut. The guy is a bigger fan of Virat than me, so he closely follows him and knows when Virat has a thick beard and when he has trimmed it a little. I go to that salon once a month.
 
Picking up from what the armyman had told you in the Metro, are you following any fitness regimen or diet to look leaner? 

Yes, I have started gymming. I do a lot of weight-lifting and cardio. I gym for almost one-and-a-half hours every day and try to eat right. I eat a lot of protein and avoid fat and sweets. I love street food and biryani, but I have almost given it up. I used to die for rosogolla and pantua, which I forego as well. This was a hard task for me as a Bangali!
 

Do you track Virat’s fitness videos? Do you try to follow them?

I have bookmarked him on Instagram. Whatever he posts, I get notified immediately. I do not have the kind of fitness that an athlete has, but I do try to follow some of his videos. 
 
You are quite a sports fanatic, right?

Yes, I love sports. Had sports not existed I would have studied more and scored more marks (laughs). 

Cricket or football — which do you love more?

Football, any day. I have watched football matches past midnight and sat for an exam the next morning. I am crazy when it comes to football. Maybe, I should have been an athlete or in a football-related profession, I would have definitely done better in life (laughs). I am a huge fan of Manchester United, in fact I have their club crest tattooed on my arm. 

Yes, your Facebook is filled with posts related to Man United. When and why did you start supporting the team?
I have been supporting Manchester United for almost 10 years now. I was a very big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, and also of Sir Alex Ferguson. I love everything about this team.
 

Your thoughts on Jose Mourinho as your manager?

When Jose Mourinho was the Chelsea manager we used to abuse him, but it’s true that he is a very successful manager. After three frustrating years, now we will have glory, for sure. Under him, hopefully we will get those winning days back.
 
Coming to cricket, will you be going for the India vs New Zealand Test at Eden this weekend?

Yes, I am planning to watch the match at Eden....
 
And how would you react if you met Virat Kohli?

The very thought is making me excited! I will definitely take a selfie with him and if I get a chance to speak, I will ask him one question — ‘where do you get your hair cut?’

Abhishek’s pictures: B. Halder

Jersey, trousers and cap from Adidas (Camac Street)

Which celebrity do you look like? Tell t2@abp.in