345 sq ft artwork in 500 hrs: Fan paints a ‘Virat’ tribute to Kohli | Lucknow News

Kartik (with portrait) shows his artwork

Lucknow: Records define Virat Kohli’s greatness on the field, but off it, a fan’s devotion to the cricketing icon is also rewriting the numbers — and even the record books.Kartik Pandey, a young fan of ‘King Kohli’, who already holds a place in the India Book of Records for creating the world’s largest sketch of Virat has matched his idol’s intensity not with runs, but with passion — spending 500 hours to create a gigantic 345-square-foot tribute.“It’s all for a moment’s glimpse of the batting maestro and the dream to give Kohli my artwork, and a warm hug,” said Kartik, a young artist from UP’s Shikohabad, who reached Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on the eve of RCB-LSG tie, to showcase his artwork – a colossal handmade portrait of Kohli, stitching together 729 pages, spanning an impressive size of 345 sq ft.For Kartik, this is more than just art; it’s a tribute carved out of passion. “I am a die-hard fan of ‘King Kohli’ who has achieved big milestones for India. Being an artist, this is my gift for him which I want to hand him over personally,” he said.This is not Kartik’s first brush with record-breaking creativity. Earlier too, during an India-Australia match at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, he had crafted a similar giant portrait that earned recognition in the India Book of Records as the “world’s largest sketch of Virat Kohli”.Recreating the masterpiece was no small feat. “It took me around 500 hours. My father — equally devoted to Kohli — played a crucial role in bringing my vision to life,” said Kartik.“Logistics, however, posed a major challenge. With match-day restrictions making it nearly impossible to carry such a massive artwork, I chose a quieter practice day to transport my artwork here with the help of my friends,” he added.“Whenever I get a chance to meet Virat Kohli, I just want to hug him. I don’t know what I will say, but I want to give him my artwork,” Kartik said.