One of the highlights of India’s victory in 2011 World Cup was the image wherein Virat Kohli, then 23 years old, carried legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders and famously said, “He has carried the burden of team India for 24 years, now it’s our turn to carry him.” Cut back to 2023, and Kohli will be playing a home World Cup, probably his last in October.
When quizzed about winning the WC in 2011, the RCB superstar said it is still his best cricketing moment.
“My career highlight is obviously winning the World Cup in 2011. I was 23 at the time, and I probably didn’t understand the magnitude of it. But now at 34, and has played many World Cups, which we haven’t been able to win, So, I understand the emotions of all the senior players (in 2011). All the more for Sachin Tendulkar, as it was his last World Cup. He had already played many World Cups by then, and to win it in Mumbai, his hometown was very special for him. I mean, it was stuff from dreams,” Kohli said at a promotional event to PTI.
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Kohli scored 282 runs in nine games in WC 2011. The then youngster scored a composed 35 in the final of the showpiece event at Wankhede. Kohli recalled the WC experience as a 23-year-old in 2011 and said everywhere we used to go, people always said, “Bring the World.” The former India captain also stated the senior players handled the pressure very well.
“I remember the amount of pressure there was on all the players when we were traveling, Thankfully, there was no social media back then. It would have been a nightmare, honestly. But through the airports, it was always just one thing — we need to win the Cup. The senior players were always under the pump and had to handle all that pressure. It was just brilliant. And that night (after the WC win) in itself was something magical,” Kohli added.
Virat Kohli: Kohli eyes another double trophy Asia Cup and World Cup
All eyes will be on Kohli as India look to win two major trophies in two months – Asia Cup and the World Cup. The 35-year-old is back from the break and is gearing up to put on the best performance in two main major tournaments. The right-hand batter did not get much game in the ODI series against West Indies. But in Asia Cup, the legendary batter will be the most crucial batter in the middle order.
