'More than the game, I am looking forward to that moment' - Virat Kohli ahead of India-Pakistan clash

Be it Australia vs England, or India vs Pakistan, the atmosphere in the stadium when these rivalries meet is just magnificent. And the intensity is always high. As exciting as it may be for the viewers, it adds as much pressure on the players, to perform well in front of the large crowd who visit the stadium with high hopes of their side winning.

While Australia-England games are not that rare, because the two teams face each other in bilateral series as well. India-Pakistan clashes surely are. Because the two teams face off only during World Cup tournaments or continental events like the Asia Cup. And as the T20 World Cup 2022 has kick-started, India and Pakistan are all set to face off in their campaign opener on October 23 at the MCG in Australia.

Ahead of the clash, Virat Kohli spoke on how he approaches games of such high magnitude and the feeling of playing in front of 1 lakh supporters at the MCG. While speaking on Star Sports, he said:

“More than the game, I am looking forward to that moment (playing in front of 1 lakh supporters). The last time I experienced such a moment was at Eden Gardens where I think there were around 90,000 fans. It was a packed stadium. When I walked out, there were legends of the game like you know, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis. The atmosphere was electrifying, but I needed to focus because you can get pulled into that environment.”

There’s a different atmosphere that’s built during World Cup matches: Kohli

Speaking of T20Is, India and Pakistan have faced each other only 11 times so far, with India winning on eight occasions. This time around, both the teams have been in tremendous form, and look formidable. India-Pakistan clashes have always been neck-to-neck and their recent Asia Cup games are proof of it and Kohli said that he absolutely loves such experiences in the games, as he added:

“The same was at Mohali in the World Cup. There’s a different atmosphere that’s built during World Cup matches. It's a different feeling, and you can sense that build-up, you know there's this nervousness in the area, anticipation and everyone’s buzzing. I love those moments. It's actually these moments that are part of the whole experience. You play to actually live these moments.”