Virat Kohli and Australia definitely share a special relationship. Pretty much like his role model Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli has found tremendous success Down Under and his record in this part of the world is simply phenomenal. It was that 2011/12 tour of Australia, which marked the metamorphosis of Kohli into a batting powerhouse and transformed him into a one man army.
In his previous tour as well, Kohli amassed more than 600 runs in the test series and his century against Pakistan in the ICC World Cup 2015 at Adelaide was simply breathtaking. Kohli, while departing for Australia, got nostalgic and reflected back on the same.
“It was special,” Kohli said. “The game against Pakistan was also our first in the World Cup, so it was massive. We hadn’t played well in the tri-series. I remember waking up the morning of the game and doing my preparation and opening the window of my room in Adelaide, and I see this bridge which connects the ground to the hotel and saw 3,000 people there with their musical instruments and flags and what not.”
“It just hit me that I’ll be in the stadium in three hours playing in front of these people. I saw the frenzy there. That’s the fun of it. I challenged myself to go out there do the best I could, get big runs. I was able to do that and was happy about it,” Kohli added.
Speaking about the upcoming ODI series against Australia in their own backyard, Kohli said that he was simply excited and thrilled. “I can’t wait. Everyone is suited up. The shoes are shining. I can’t wait to get on the plane,” he said.