"I enjoy watching him play more than ever now" - Usman Khawaja on Virat Kohli ahead of 2023 World Cup

Veteran Australian opener Usman Khawaja has acknowledged that he loves watching Virat Kohli play now more than ever because of his different shades of personality. Nevertheless, the Pakistan-born cricketer feels the right-hander has significantly calmed his temper down now due to having a family.

While Kohli is arguably one of the best all-format player of the era, he is equally an animated character on the field. The 34-year-old has had on-field altercations with several international stars including David Warner, Steve Smith, James Anderson, and James Faulkner across his career.

Speaking to Fox Cricket, Khawaja observed that India's young generation plays cricket quite differently and credited Kohli for transforming their mindset. However, he observed that Kohli is equally playful on the field.

"When I watched them as a kid, (India) always seemed very placid … but the younger generation plays it differently. They play the game still respectfully, but they’re not afraid to back down from a fight. Particularly when Virat Kohli was captain, he brought that in."

Khawaja continued:

"I enjoy watching him play more than ever now because he still plays it hard, but he also has a joke on the field, even when we play against him. He’s calmed down a little bit, maybe it’s having a child and starting a family, but this is probably my most enjoyable Virat Kohli in my opinion, because he’s still a gun. Everyone loves watching them play, everyone loves playing against them, but also everyone loves beating them too."

The 34-year-old looms as India's most decisive batter in the 2023 World Cup as the Men in Blue hope to end their decade-long ICC trophy drought.

"The pressure on them day in day out is massive" - Usman Khawaja on the Indian team

Usman Khawaja. (Image Credits: Twitter)

The 36-year-old feels India need everything to go right for them in the World Cup as even a small misstep could derail their campaign significantly. Highlighting the magnitude of pressure on the Men in Blue, Khawaja added:

"They literally have the most pressure in the world. They have the biggest following in world cricket. The pressure on them day in day out is massive, so if they stumble, if they lose a game, if they’re on the ropes, I know the fans can turn real quick. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword."

"When the pressure cooker comes later on in the tournament when it’s knock-outs, or even at the start, if something doesn’t go right, they’re going to have a lot of pressure on them, so they’re going to have to do everything right."

India will open their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8th in Chennai.