Virat Kohli waiting for World Cup for last two years, says his childhood coach

Unlike many other cricketers, India captain Virat Kohli is fortunate to have won the World Cup in the very first edition he took part, in 2011. He had a dream run that year by opening his batting account in the World Cup with an unbeaten hundred against Bangladesh (though that got eclipsed by Virender Sehwag’s 175). But the fiercely competitive cricketer in Kohli now harbours the dream of winning the coveted trophy as the skipper of India – something only two individuals before him could do before him – Kapil Dev and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Kohli to be India’s seventh captain at the World Cup

When Kohli will go out for toss against South Africa in India’s first game in Southampton, he will become the seventh captain to lead the country in the World Cup. India will be playing nine games in the round-robin format like each of the other 10 teams and the top four will advance to the knock-outs. India will be facing Pakistan at Old Trafford on June 16.

According to Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma, the 30-year-old batsman has been dreaming about the occasion for the last couple of years and it has come out in various interviews in which he has spoken. It will be Kohli’s third WC after 2011 and 2015 when India lost to eventual champions Australia in the semi-finals, but his hunger to do good at the quadrennial event has never diminished.

“Virat is very focused regarding World Cup. If you listen to his interviews from the past two years, since then he has been dreaming about the World Cup like how he is going to play in the World Cup and what should be the strategy. So, he is very devoted and dedicated to making India win the World Cup,” Timesnownews.com cited reports quoting Sharma as saying. “It is a big challenge for Virat Kohli as he will be leading India for the first time in World Cup.”

Kohli, who has earned some great feats as India’s captain over the last one year or so, however, had a forgettable Indian Premier League recently with the side he leads, Royal Challengers Bangalore, finishing last among eight teams. However, Kohli excelled in the tournament as a batsman and that will keep his supporters upbeat when the World Cup kicks off.

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