T20 World Cup 2022: “It was quite surreal” – Virat Kohli recalls his maiden World Cup for Team India, explains why it was so special

Star Indian batter Virat Kohli recently talked about the experience of playing in his maiden World Cup for Team India, which the Men in Blue won on home soil in 2011. The former India captain said he still cherishes the victory and explained why it was so special for him.

Kohli will be looking forward to help the Men in Blue lift their second T20 World Cup after a 15-year gap to get that winning feeling once again.

The right-handed batter has been in excellent form from the 2022 Asia Cup onwards. He has already amassed 485 runs in 14 T20Is this year, including a century and four fifties.

The veteran also loves playing in Australia. He has scored 451 runs in 10 T20I innings at an average of 64.43 down under, comprising five half-centuries.

Speaking to the ICC Review, Kohli recalled being a youngster in the Class of 2011:

“I was looking at all the guys around me. I was the youngest in that team [2011 World Cup], so it was quite surreal that part of my first World Cup and we end up winning that World Cup and I saw the emotions of all guys who have been there for so long.”

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“I didn't quite feel it” – Virat Kohli on being triumphant in his very first World Cup

Virat Kohli stressed that he didn’t quite feel the victory as it was his first World Cup. He, however, was deeply moved after watching superstar Indian cricketers get emotional as India lifted the trophy after a gap of 28 years.

“Sachin Tendulkar getting emotional, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, all these guys and then MS [Dhoni] has probably seen these guys play before and now he is leading them to a World Cup victory. It was just I could see the emotion with everyone. I didn’t quite feel it, to be very honest.”

He added:

“I couldn’t understand what they were feeling because I was not in that position, but the whole moment was so powerful and overwhelming that I got pulled in with all that emotion and all that energy.”

Virat Kohli was still playing age-group cricket when India triumphed in the 2007 World T20 in South Africa. However, his teammate and successor as captain, Rohit Sharma, was part of that team.

The star batsman was also part of the team that won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. So, it is the T20 format where a global triumph has evaded the champion cricketer.

Virat Kohli will be in action against arch-rivals Pakistan in Melbourne on Sunday (October 23). He loves playing the Men in Green and has scored 406 runs in nine matches against them in the shortest format, at an average of 67.67.

He will look to continue his purple patch throughout the tournament and end the Men in Blue's nine-year drought of not being able to win an ICC title since the Champions Trophy in 2013.