"I was a bit nervous heading into the game " - Virat Kohli recalls playing his first World Cup match
Team India's star batter Virat Kohli recently opened up on what was going through his mind ahead of his first-ever ICC ODI World Cup match. His maiden appearance in the showpiece event came against Bangladesh in Dhaka at the 2011 edition.
Speaking about the fixture, Kohli admitted that he was nervous ahead of the encounter. He also highlighted how he was the youngest player in the star-studded Indian team during the ICC tournament.
During an interview with Star Sports, here's what Kohli said about his first World Cup match:
"It was against Bangladesh in Dhaka, my first game and I was nervous. Yes, I will not lie. There is a different sense of excitement in the air when you come for a World Cup and I could obviously sense that. I was the youngest member of that team and I was getting to play with all these greats of Indian cricket in a World Cup game."
"For me it was definitely a moment where I was a bit nervous heading into the game and definitely the night before I was quite nervous but that is a good sign as well because your body is preparing you to enter a situation where you’re alert, you’re not taking things for granted. I think that nervousness helped me to be aware, be alert and be absolutely precise in the execution of my plans," he added.
Virat Kohli shone with the bat in his first ODI World Cup match, notching up a fine century. The right-handed batter remained unbeaten on 100 in 83 balls as India registered an imposing 370-run total.
"Should open in the World Cup" - Wasim Jaffer wants Virat Kohli to bat at the top of the order at 2024 T20 World Cup
Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer opined that Virat Kohli should open the batting for the Men in Blue alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal at the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup.
He suggested that skipper Rohit Sharma should drop down to the No. 3 or No. 4 spot based on the match situation. Taking to the microblogging platform X, Jaffer wrote:
"Kohli & Jaiswal should open in the World Cup imo. Rohit & SKY should bat 3&4 depending on the start we get. Rohit plays spin really well so batting at 4 shouldn't be a concern."
Virat Kohli has a proven record as an opener in the T20 format. He was in stellar form for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the recently concluded IPL 2024, finishing as winner of the Orange Cap with 741 runs across 14 innings.