New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): India's ace batter Virat Kohli said his dream is to play a match-winning knock in a World Cup final while stressing that India's ultimate goal remains winning the coveted trophy, as the veteran batter prepares to begin the new home ODI season against the West Indies on Sunday.
Speaking to JioStar ahead of the first ODI, Kohli opened up on his competitive nature and his desire to be the player who takes India across the finish line.
"I've always been someone who, in every game that we play, wants to be the guy who wins us the game. I'm made that way; that's never going to go away from me. So, my goal is to win as many games as I can for the team, and my dream is to play a match-winning knock in the finals while chasing a score," Kohli told JioStar.
"If it happens, great. If it doesn't happen, we win the World Cup, I'll be as happy because eventually, you understand that, as much as that competitive nature is there, it's the last time you're getting to play a World Cup. So, winning that trophy is the most important thing," he added.
He further added, "If I have the opportunity to do it, as an individual staying there out in the middle, there's nothing more satisfying as a batsman. You visualise yourself pulling the team out of trouble. And that's what makes you compete at this level. So, I don't want to let go of that competitiveness. But yeah, the bigger goal is always greater."
The 37-year-old Kohli has featured in two ODI World Cup finals, helping India win the 2011 edition before being part of the side that lost to Australia in the 2023 final.
The 2027 World Cup will be Kohli's last World Cup, and it will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 4 to November 21, with India beginning their preparations for the tournament with the three-match ODI series against the West Indies.
Kohli, who has retired from T20Is and Tests, now plays only ODIs. He has also made a strong start to the year, scoring 384 runs in six innings at an average of 64, with one century and three fifties.
He currently has 85 international centuries and 41 international hundreds at home. He is also 110 runs short of surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's record of 6,976 ODI runs in home conditions.
India's ODI squad for the West Indies series comprises Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Naman Dhir.
India will also play five ODIs in New Zealand and three against Sri Lanka later this year, followed by three ODIs against Zimbabwe at the start of 2027 as part of their World Cup preparations. (ANI)
"My dream is to play match-winning knock in finals": Virat Kohli eyes World Cup glory
