Virat Kohli Reflects on World Cup Debut, Prepares for 2024 Challenge

Virat Kohli, the former Indian skipper and one of the most prolific batsmen in the world, is gearing up for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup. In a recent interview, Kohli shared his thoughts on his journey leading up to the tournament and reflected on his emotions prior to his World Cup debut against Bangladesh in 2011.

Kohli's debut performance was nothing short of spectacular. He formed a formidable 203-run partnership with Virender Sehwag, becoming the first and only Indian player to achieve a century in their World Cup debut match. His unbeaten 100 runs off 83 deliveries propelled Team India to a total of 370, ultimately securing an impressive 87-run victory.

"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," Kohli said on Star Sports.

"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.

Kohli has been one of the best batsmen in all formats but his T20 World Cup exploits are second to none. He is the leading run scorer in the history of the tournament having scored 1141 runs in 25 innings taking his average to be an unbelievable 81.50.

India will face Bangladesh in a warm-up game on June 1 as a part of their preparation in the T20 World Cup set to be held in the USA and West Indies.

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