Virat Kohli has been the backbone of India's batting for years and chasing targets brings the best out of him in the limited-overs cricket. In the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, Kohli has been scoring runs consistently and contributing to the team's winning cause.

Ahead of the match against Sri Lanka, Kohli reflected upon his highly illustrious career and said he never thought of what he has achieved so far. Kohli is one century away from matching Sachin Tendulkar's historic record of 49 ODI centuries.

“If we talk about cricket, I had never thought of achieving all, as in where my career is and how god has blessed me such a career span and performances. I had always dreamt I’d do this, but I had never thought thing would pan out this way exactly, nobody can plan these things, the way your journey is going, and the way things unfold in front of you. I hadn’t thought that I’d score so many hundreds and so many runs in these 12 years," Kohli told Star Sports.

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In six matches of the marquee tournament, Kohli hammered one century and three fifties to accumulate 354 runs. He is the second-highest run-getter for India in the tournament after skipper Rohit Sharma (398).

Former India captain further mentioned that he is only determined to win games for the side from difficult situations. Kohli said he made changes in his lifestyle to contribute more to the team.

"My only focus was that I should perform well for the team, and win games for the team from difficult situations. For that I made quite a few changes along the way regarding discipline and lifestyle. I always had the drive in me, but I lacked the professionalism. Now I have a single-minded focus on how I want to play the game, and after that the results I’ve achieved is from playing that way itself. The game recognises effort," he said.

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"Honestly that’s what I have learnt from my career. I’ve played cricket by giving my hundred percent on the field, and the blessings I have got from it have been given to me by God, and I had never thought things would have unfolded this way," Kohli added.

With Hardik Pandya's participation still in doubt, India will lock horns with Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday to stretch their winning streak in the competition.


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