Virat Kohli Hopes To Achieve What MS Dhoni Did 12 Years Ago In T20 World Cup Next Year

Virat Kohli on Friday expressed hope to emulate what MS Dhoni did way back in 2007. Virat Kohli said that he would be honoured to become only the second Indian captain to lift the T20 World Cup trophy. India won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup -- what was then called World T20 -- in 2007 under MS Dhoni. Twelve years ago, Dhoni had led a young Indian side to a title victory, but since then five editions have gone by and India have always found themselves short on each occasion, with the last disappointment coming in India in 2016. Last time, Kohli, despite winning the player of the tournament trophy, couldn't help his side lift the trophy but hopes to change things this time around.

"India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 when the format was new and the future a bit unknown. Since then, T20 cricket has truly come of age and it would be an honour to be the second Indian captain to lift the T20 World Cup trophy, and hopefully the third if the Indian women can win it earlier in 2020," Kohli was quoted as saying by icc-cricket.com.

The T20 World Cup, which was initially played every two years, is scheduled to return after a gap of four years in Australia. The tournament is scheduled to start on October 18, 2020 -- exactly one year from now -- and the ICC launched a special campaign to mark the occasion.

Despite playing away from home, Kohli expects crowd to come out in large numbers and support the team like they have done in the past every time they have played there.

"We receive such incredible support when we play in Australia, with stadiums often packed with a sea of blue shirts. I hope to see more of that when we come back to Australia next year," said the Indian skipper.

Since the last edition the Indian team has gone through several changes, with many senior players not part of the side. Kohli, however, is not focusing on all of that as he is confident that the young players will be "really motivated" to make their case strong by putting their best foot forward when they get selected for T20I matches.

"The T20 World Cup in 2020 is a big focus for us, and it's important that we use the next 12 months to place ourselves in the best possible position to compete for another major ICC trophy," said the 30-year-old batsman.

"Our players will be really motivated to take their opportunities when they get selected for T20I matches to put themselves forward for the T20 World Cup, as we want to have a settled team combination by the time we get to Australia," Kohli said, exuding optimism.

Topics mentioned in this article

MS Dhoni Virat Kohli India Cricket Team Cricket International Cricket Council ICC T20 World Cup 2021