Virat Kohli feels all the 10 teams participating in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which begins from May 30, are ‘well-balanced and strong’ and the tournament’s round-robin format will make it even more challenging. Kohli, the Indian cricket team captain, conceded that the tournament will see a run-fest but pressure of playing in a World Cup in English conditions will make even 260-270 hard to chase. India won the World Cup in 1983 and 2011.
(Video courtesy: ICC)
#ICCCricketWorldCup 2019 #2019CricketWorldCup
For ICC World Cup full coverage: https://www.outlookindia.com/sports
(Video courtesy: ICC)
#ICCCricketWorldCup 2019 #2019CricketWorldCup
For ICC World Cup full coverage: https://www.outlookindia.com/sports
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 We have both our warm-up games televised already so not much pressure on the Indian team wherever
00:11 they play. But yeah look there's always gonna be a huge fan base for us anywhere we play
00:17 in the world but yeah I have to agree with Aaron I think England is probably in their
00:22 conditions the most strong side in this tournament but I also agree with Mogz that all 10 teams
00:27 are so well balanced and so strong and the fact that this is a tournament where we have
00:32 to play every team once makes it all the more challenging and I think that's gonna be the
00:36 best thing about this tournament and I see this as probably one of the most competitive
00:41 World Cups that people are gonna see.
00:43 I was just gonna say it really depends on how these boys get up in the morning and come
00:51 to play because they seem to be obsessed with getting to 500 before anyone else. They just
00:56 come and smash from ball one up till 50 overs so yeah look it could be pretty high scoring
01:01 but you know this back home we had a press conference and they asked this question as
01:04 well but I said look 260-270 is gonna be as difficult to get in a World Cup as you know
01:11 chasing 380 or 370. I don't see many high scoring games happening at the later half
01:16 of the tournament. Initially some teams might get on a roll but you'll see 250 defended
01:21 as well that's the kind of pressure the World Cup brings.
01:24 Well look it really depends on not all the teams are gonna be in a great position so
01:31 the ones that sort of have to make sure that they get the result are the ones that are
01:38 gonna be under pressure to chase even a small score down so I think it's just the fact that
01:43 you're gonna get closer to the knockout stages is what's gonna bring more pressure in the
01:47 later half of the tournament and I think all the teams recognize that. No one's gonna go
01:51 gung-ho right from ball one. In pressure games in a World Cup you might get a team that just
01:57 goes on a roll but I think generally both teams would like to start in a balanced way
02:01 and then find their way into the game and look to capitalize when the moment comes in
02:06 so I see the pressure playing a massive factor in the second half.
02:15 I think India-Pakistan is always a very very anticipated match but we keep saying this
02:22 again and again if you ask the players it's very different from how the fans look at the
02:27 game compared to how the players play it. Yes you feel the anticipation and you feel
02:32 the excitement of the fans when you enter the stadium but as soon as you step onto the
02:36 field it's professional, a bowler trying to execute his skills, a batsman trying to execute
02:41 his skills to the best of their potential and for us it's just another game that you
02:45 need to win as a team. Yes it brings pressure because the atmosphere in the stadium is very
02:50 different and as I said you only experience that till the time you start competing in
02:55 the game. As soon as you get into it then at the end of the day it's a game of cricket
02:58 for all of us. I know we keep saying this again and again but that's the truth. That's
03:02 all the cricketers I'm sure from both the sides feel that as soon as you start playing
03:07 the game it eventually is a game of bat and ball and that's what you need to focus on.
03:12 [Music]