Virat Kohli will lead for the first time in an ICC event, in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Kohli has led India in all three formats of the game, but this will be the first team he will lead Men In Blue in a major ICC tournament.
Speaking to media ahead of India’s first practice session, Kohli said that England will be the toughest side to beat in the tournament. Kohli said that England are a very strong team and playing at home will add more to their confidence.
This is what Virat Kohli said when he asked about England being pre-tournament favourites:
“We experienced that in India, they are pretty hard to get the past, and that’s something that is going to be a challenge for every other team in the Champions Trophy as well. We always related to England as a very strong Test team, but in last two or three years post [the 2015] World Cup, they’ve really changed the way they play their cricket,” he said.
“I don’t think they’ve scored anything less than 330 now, which moves the game on pretty rapidly. It is indeed a challenge for all sides that play against them. Credit to them for shaping their short-format cricket so well, and I’m sure they’ll be eager to go a long way in this tournament as well,” he added.
When asked about his role as captain and India’s chances in the tournament, this is what Virat Kohli had to say:
“I am very excited to be playing as captain in my first major ICC competition,” he said. “As far as the team goes, we won last time because our fast bowlers did very well, our spinners were strong and our opening batsman did well,” Kohli said.
“They were the main three factors. This year the team is a lot fitter, the cricketers are a lot more mature because that was a very young group four years ago. It has gained a lot of experience in the last three or four years. I love the tournament because it represents a challenge from the [word] go,” he continued.
