look news india
Mumbai, July 5 (HS). Riding the Vijay Rath at the Wankhede Stadium is nothing new for Virat Kohli. Thirteen years ago, at the age of 22, he carried Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders to celebrate India's historic ODI World Cup win.
But when he returned to the iconic venue on Thursday evening (this time as a veteran, recently-retired T20I cricketer), he could not control his emotions.
Addressing a packed stadium celebrating India's T20 World Cup win, he said, “When we won the World Cup in 2011, I couldn't connect with the emotions of the senior players at that time. I couldn't understand why they were crying. For me, it felt like, 'Yes, we have won the World Cup and it's a fact. I was 22 years old, but now, it's a different feeling.”
Having captained India for a long time, Kohli himself has admitted that he now understands what it is like to win a world title – battling through difficulties, overcoming disappointments.
He said, “Now being in this position, I understand what it means. Not just me, Rohit has been playing for so long, and we both have been working hard for this for so long. When I was the captain, he was a senior player; now he is the captain, so I am a senior player, and our only goal was to make India win the World Cup.”
Recovering from a disappointing campaign in the recently concluded T20 event, Kohli's brilliant innings in the final paved the way for India. And, when India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, it was an emotional moment for both Rohit and Kohli.
After playing together for 15 years, this was the first time Kohli saw Rohit getting so emotional on the field.
Kohli said, “When I was climbing the stairs, we both were crying. For me, that is a very special memory of that day. The only goal is Indian cricket and the Indian flag. That is what we take pride in.”
As he went down memory lane, Mumbai's cricket-crazy fans gave him a standing ovation and Kohli also called the Wankhede Stadium 'special'.
He said, “There couldn't be a better place to come back and celebrate than at the Wankhede. The last time we came here, it was a special feeling and it is a very special stadium and I love playing here and I love the crowd here.”