Ahead of the campaign opener against Bangladesh, star India batter Virat Kohli opened up on why he likes the ICC Champions Trophy as a competition and in what ways it is similar to the T20 World Cup, which India won last year. The biggest match of the Champions Trophy between two arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, will be played on February 23. India will start its campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 and their last league match will be against New Zealand on March 2.
Speaking to Star Sports, Virat said, “First of all, it has been a long time we have played the Champions Trophy. Honestly, I have always liked this tournament a lot. Because, it is a representation of how consistently you play cricket for a year or two. When you are in the top eight rankings, then you get this reward for playing this tournament. So, a level of competition is always good in this. And I remember, this has always been a very competitive tournament.”
“And the last time we played an opening match against Bangladesh in the ICC tournament (World Cup 2011), it was good for us as we won the tournament. I have good memories of that.”
“And, like I said, if you apply the T20 World Cup pressure in the ODI format, then it’s very similar. Because, you have 3-4 matches there as well. So, if you do not start well, you get under pressure. So, I think the first couple of games are very crucial. And, it is very important to bring your A-game in that. And, that is why I like it. Pressure is there from the first match, so you have to be at your best,” he concluded.
Virat is the 11th-highest run-getter in the tournament’s history since his debut in the competition back in 2009. He has scored 529 runs in 13 matches and 12 innings at an average of 88.16, with a strike rate of 92.32. Among Indians, he is the third-best batter, with Rahul Dravid (627 runs in 19 matches and 15 innings at an average of 48.23, with six fifties) and Shikhar Dhawan (701 runs in 10 innings at an average of 77.88, with three centuries and three fifties). The top run-getter in the tournament history is West Indies icon Chris Gayle, with 791 runs in 17 innings at an average of 52.73, with three centuries and a fifty). His best score is 133*.
Virat was in action during the ODI series against England, which concluded recently.
After missing the first ODI due to a knee injury, he scored five and 52 in the remaining matches.
In the Champions Trophy starting February 19, Virat will aim to overcome his prolonged slump in form.
Virat ended the last year with just 655 international runs in 23 matches and 32 innings, averaging 21.83, with a century and two fifties to his name. His best score was 100*.
India’s squad for ICC Champions Trophy, 2025: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Non-travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required.
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