Virat Kohli said that Sachin Tendulkar had carried the weight of the nation for 21 years and now it was their turn to support him. In 2011, the Indian cricket team led by MS Dhoni won the ODI World Cup after waiting for 28 years. Kohli was only 22 years old at that time but he was already showing potential to become a future leader.
Like many other young Indian cricketers, Tendulkar was also Kohli’s hero. Tendulkar had achieved almost every batting record for his country but he had never won the World Cup trophy. He didn’t play in the 2007 T20 World Cup when India won the tournament with a young team.
Virat won the World Cup at just 22
On April 2, 2011, a big moment happened for Sachin Tendulkar. He won the trophy he wanted the most, after waiting for a long time. Some other players on the team had played in the World Cup before, but it was the first time for some of them, like Virat Kohli who was the youngest on the team. He won the tournament in his first try.
In a podcast with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the team Kohli plays for in the IPL, the ex-captain of India remembered the day he was chosen for the World Cup. He said he was surprised because he didn’t think he would be selected.
“I was lucky enough to be part of that team and what led to my selection was also amazing because I had a run of great scores and I ended up being in the team. I never expected it to happen. When things are meant to be. Sachin Tendulkar was playing his sixth World Cup if I am not wrong. And that was the one he won. And That was my first time and I ended up being on the winning side,”
he said.
“A few years after joining the team, Kohli helped them win the Champions Trophy in 2013. But after that, he hasn’t been able to win any ICC tournaments, either as a player or as a captain. Despite this, Kohli not worried about it. I’m not mad about my trophy cabinet being full. That’s always been a by-product of the kind of discipline you have,”
he said.
‘failed captain’, says Virat Kohli
Virat is still India’s most successful Test captain. He also has a great record as captain in white-ball cricket, but he hasn’t won the ICC trophy yet. Kohli knows this, and he reminded people who called him a “failed captain” that it takes years to build a good team culture like the one he has created in the Indian team.
“You play to win tournaments but that’s not all. A lot was made of it, to be honest. I captained the Champions Trophy in 2017, captained the 2019 World Cup, Test Championship in 2021 and we failed to qualify for the semi-finals in the 2021 T20 World Cup. We reached the finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy, the semis of the World Cup (2019), and the final of WTC but I was considered as a failed captain.”
“I never judged myself from that point of view. What we ended up achieving as a team, the cultural change that took place, for me, is always going to be a matter of pride. A tournament happens for a certain period but a culture happens for a long period of time. For that, you need consistency, and for that, you need more character than winning a tournament. I’ve won the World Cup as a player, and I’ve won the Champions Trophy as a player. I’ve been part of a team that has won five Test maces. If you look at it, there have been people who have never won a World Cup.”
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