Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri and Kapil Dev catch up before India begins its 2019 World Cup campaign
This is the second time Virat Kohli is leading a team to a World Cup.
Eight years ago, MS Dhoni slammed a six in the dying moments of a 50-over match with a concerned expression on his face. Moments later, the entire nation rose in unison, cheering, hooting and clapping as Team India lifted the World Cup for the second time. It is 2019 now, and while MS Dhoni is on the team, we have Virat Kohli leading the side. Kohli has brushed shoulders with some of the greatest cricketers of his time. However, his education is incomplete without a chat with the man who won India its first World Cup.
On May 23, former skipper and World Cup winner Kapil Dev caught up with Virat and Ravi Shastri. The latter is the current coach of Team India and was a part of Kapil’s team which lifted the Cup. In what looks like a dinner chat, the two veterans are likely to have passed down some knowledge to Virat. After all, Kapil and Ravi did win the Cup in England – the same place where the Men in Blue will be contending this year. This must be a very nostalgic moment for Kapil and Shastri, who are now mentors to the next generation of cricketers.
Let's bleed blue!
Earlier that evening, there was a media interaction with the captains of all the teams. Virat said that he expects high-scoring games in the early stages of the tournament, but towards the end, “you won't see too many teams going gung-ho from ball 1.” Of course, this isn't the first time that Virat is leading a team to the World Cup. In 2008, Kohli had led India to the U-19 Wolrd Cup victory in Malaysia. The Indian squad landed in England on May 22 and began their training sessions the following day itself. A video of the team playing football and BIB catching went viral on the internet.
India is among the favorites this year. The hosts, England, have never won the World Cup but have high hopes to finally win the trophy. “The way I look at it, there’s always going to be a huge fan-base for us anywhere we play in the world. But I have to agree with Aaron, I think England is probably - in their conditions - the most strong side in this tournament, but I also agree with Morgs, that all ten teams are so well balanced and so strong, and the fact that this is a tournament where we have to play everyone once, makes it all the more challenging,” Virat was quoted as saying by the ICC.
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