NEW DELHI: Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli has always enjoyed the Champions Trophy format, which demands teams to be at their best from the very first match.
The tournament is being held for the first time since 2017, when India lost the final to Pakistan. India will begin their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday.
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“The tournament is returning after a long time. I have always liked this competition because it represents consistency — you have to be among the top eight ranked teams to qualify. The level of competition is always high,” Kohli told Star Sports.
Having featured in three editions of the Champions Trophy — 2009, 2013 (when India won), and 2017 — Kohli compared the event’s pressure to that of the fast-paced T20 World Cup.
“In ODIs, this tournament creates the same pressure as a T20 World Cup. You only get three or four league games, and if you don’t start well, you’re immediately under pressure. That’s why I like it—you have to be at your best from game one,” the former India captain explained.
India will face Pakistan on February 23 and New Zealand on March 2 in their remaining group-stage matches. While Pakistan is the official host, India will play all their games in Dubai under the event’s hybrid model.
Kohli, looking to score big in the tournament, aims to continue his form after a tough Test series in Australia. He regained his touch in the preceding ODI series against England, where he scored a half-century in the final match in Ahmedabad.
