Virat Kohli is arguably one of the hottest properties in the world of cricket. Whether it's his explosive batting or on-field conduct, the Delhi lad wears his heart up his sleeves and endorses an aggressive brand of cricket that has established his reputation as a fierce competitor.

But, when in the company of canines, tough-as-a-nail Kohli melts like an ice-cream. The 28-year-old is like a child in dreamland when he is surrounded by dogs. His aggression subsides and paves way for love and affection that generally stays hidden during the feisty cricket encounters.

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And, that's exactly what happened when the Indian captain stepped into a dog orphanage in Bengaluru. Much to the delight of the caretakers and dogs alike, Kohli visited the CARE - Charlie's Animal Rescue Centre - and surprised everyone.

"It was simply unbelievable this morning to see Virat Kohli's car pulling up inside the gates of CARE," the centre said in a post on Facebook.

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"His love for dogs is common knowledge, and the fact that we happened to witness it in its purest form was a wonderful, indescribable feeling. He met Dash at the reception, said hello to Captain, walked around the entire place, keenly listening to our Founder trustee Miss Sudha Narayanan and Dr Lohith talk about CARE.

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He met our adoption pups George and Snowy and said in no uncertain terms that rescued is his favourite breed," they added.

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If you think the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain was only taking a stroll in the facility, you're wrong. The Indian batting sensation showed his love by passively adopting not one, but 15 dogs at CARE.

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The centre also said that he had passively adopted 15 dogs at CARE and "expressed that we choose those 15 that have special needs, that are paraplegic, blind and chronically ill," CARE added.

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"We wish the man with a golden heart, Virat Kohli loads of luck on all his endeavours and thank him for making the world a better place for animals."

Unconditional love ????. Thanks for the concern and the wishes people. Keep supporting @RCBTweets for a strong start. ??? #PlayBold #IPL10 pic.twitter.com/koTVKv1DNg

As if his success in international cricket is not enough to win you over, Kohli's golden heart and his recent gesture surely defines that he is not only a great cricketer, but also a good human being.