Indian Test captain Virat Kohli has called Real Madrid football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo his “inspiration” after enjoying a splendid year with the bat.

In interview with ecb.co.uk, Kohli termed Lionel Messi as a “freak”, but said he relates more to Ronaldo. Messi and Ronaldo have had a long-standing rivalry, with the latter recently beating the Barcelona forward to the Ballon d’Or.

“I take a lot of inspiration from (Cristiano) Ronaldo. The way he has stayed on top for so many years, it’s nothing but down to hard work.

“I have heard he is the most hardworking footballer in the world and that’s why he is where he is.

“Messi is a freak but this guy [Ronaldo] is giving him run for his money because of his hard work.”

In 2016, the Delhi batsman scored 2595 runs at an average of 86.50 across all formats at the international level. Under his captaincy, the Indian team did not lose a single Test in the calendar year – winning nine and drawing three.

Kohli also expressed his intentions of playing county cricket in order to get prepared for the tour to England in 2018. He had a torrid time during his last tour there, averaging 13.4 from 10 innings in Tests.

“It’s all about getting used to the conditions you play in and be away from all the hustle and attention. I think that’s the best preparation and I would love to achieve something like that before the tour starts,” the 28-year-old added.

“I am going to give myself the best chance to prepare and do well on that particular tour.”