Bengaluru: Star India batter Virat Kohli said on Saturday that he is "hungry as ever" and expressed confidence that India will be having a fine campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup that will be held in West Indies and USA next month.
India are placed in Group A of the ICC tournament alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA. India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, followed by the marquee clash against Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue. India will then play the USA and Canada on June 12 and 15 respectively.
"I can say I am as hungry as ever. Once there is no hunger, you will not see me in any tournament. If I do not have that mindset, I cannot play. There is an energy in such tournaments and once there is a good atmosphere within the team, it is a beautiful journey. We had one in the last World Cup (50-over World Cup). We really enjoyed the World Cup. I'm sure we will have a really good tournament this time as well," Virat said on JioCinema.
Virat also said that he does not need approval or validation from someone and performance remains the top priority.
"There has never been a point where I have felt that I should go to someone and ask them not to speak about me. I know what I can do. I do not need approval from anyone. I do not seek validation either. I learnt it from my father in my childhood. There was a time when I was getting a chance to play state cricket in an unfair way. My father said that if he works hard and gets selected, it is fine, otherwise, let it be. For me, performance is everything. Nobody is going to let you play just like that for 16 years," he said.
"I do not need to react; I know what I can do on the ground. For that, I do not need to prove myself to anyone. I have not asked anybody how to win matches. I have learnt it from being there in such situations and by failing. You can win one or two matches by chance, but if you have done it consistently, it cannot be by chance," he added.
Virat's franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be in action against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday at Bengaluru. With RCB in seventh place with six wins, seven losses and 12 points and CSK in fourth place with seven wins, six losses and 14 points, this match is a knockout match that will decide which team gets to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the playoffs.
—ANI