India’s star batter and former captain Virat Kohli played down the clash against arch-rivals Pakistan during the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
Pakistan will face India at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9.
"The frenzy around and outside the game is way more than what happens on the field. An instinctive person always remains in the present. So, forget June 9, I can just do what I have to do now after one hour,” Kohli said on Jio Cinema.
Kohli was also upbeat about doing well at the mega event.
"I can say I'm as hungry as ever. Once there is no hunger, you won't see my in any tournament. If I don't have that mindset, I can't play. There is an energy in such tournaments and once there's a good atmosphere within the team, it's a beautiful journey. We had one in the last World Cup. We really enjoyed the World Cup. I'm sure we'll have a really good tournament this time as well,” he said.
The 35-year-old has been India’s finest player over the last decade. After making his international debut in 2008 in an ODI match against Sri Lanka at Dambulla, Kohli has featured in 113 Tests, 292 ODIs, and 117 T20Is.
The prolific right-hander has accumulated 26,733 international runs across formats, which included 80 centuries. His tally of tons is only fewer than Sachin Tendulkar, who holds the record for the most international centuries (100).
Kohli has also been in great form in the ongoing IPL as he is the highest run-scorer with 661 runs in 13 innings at 66.10.
India will start their World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, followed by the match against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue. India will then take the field against USA and Canada on June 12 and 15 respectively.
- Virat Kohli