Virat Kohli Maintains 2011 World Cup Win Was A 'Gift' To Sachin Tendulkar

Indian skipper Virat Kohli engaged in a candid and fun chat with fellow teammate Mayank Agarwal. The duo spoke about a host of topics on Mayank Agarwal’s show “Open Nets with Mayank”, including the host’s Test debut in Australia in 2018. Amid all the aspects, the opening batsman asked Virat Kohli about the after scenes of the final where he is holding Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders.

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The 2011 World Cup was Virat Kohli’s first and Sachin Tendulkar’s last. While Virat Kohli did not too many opportunities in the competition, he played an instrumental role in the final. Along with Gautam Gambhir, he revived the Indian innings in pursuit of 275 after India lost Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early on. India eventually chased down the total with six wickets to spare.

Virat Kohli declared that the feeling was ecstatic to have lifted the World Cup and it was all encircling Sachin Tendulkar as he was playing his final. It was a gift from them to Sachin, who inspired and motivated millions around the country for 22 years. Hence, the 31-year-old reckoned it was time; they give it back to him.

“Feeling was firstly of gratitude that we have won the World Cup. Invariably, everyone’s feeling was centered around Paaji (Tendulkar) because we knew this was his last chance to win a World Cup. Whatever he had done for the country for so many years, in number of games he won for India and gave us motivation and inspiration. This was I guess a gift from all of us. Prior to this moment, he always kept giving, but at this moment it all came to a fulfilment,” the right-handed batsman stated.

I had seen you play at RCB: Virat Kohli

The Delhi batsman underlined the reason behind choosing Mayank Agarwal for the Melbourne Test against Australia in 2018. Kohli mentioned seeing him playing for Bangalore in the IPL and was confident he would exemplify the same self-belief featuring for India too. He also pointed out Mayank’s first-class performances at that time, when he was undergoing a rich vein of form.

“I had seen you play at RCB and I knew you would play international bowlers with absolute conviction. You were performing well in first-class cricket for a while and in a dominating way,” Kohli added further.

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