After MS Dhoni’s resignation as India’s limited overs captain, Kohli was – unsurprisingly – named as the replacement.
Kohli has already been the skipper of the Test side since 2014, leading the Indian team to the number one spot on the ICC Test Rankings in 2016.
Speaking at an event on Wednesday, the Delhi batsman said he never thought the day would come when he’d captain his country in all three formats.
“It is quite surreal. I never thought this day was going to come in my life. When I came to the team, I was always looking to perform, get more opportunities and build a solid, consistent career and contribute to the team winning games,” said Kohli.
The 28-year-old captained a lot of teams at junior level, including the India Under-19 team whom he led to World Cup glory in 2008, but feels this is a totally different challenge.
He also sees captaincy as an opportunity to improve himself as a cricketer and a person.
“Being captain of India is whole different ball game all together. As they mention it, it is the hot seat in all different ways such as the attention, the praise, criticisms – all these things come along with it,” added Kohli.
“One thing that comes along with this is the responsibility and that makes me a better cricketer and a better person as I learn about life through this experiences, so I take it as an opportunity.”
India and England will face each other in three ODIs, with the first match scheduled for Sunday at Pune.
Enroute Pune 😎😎 @klrahul11 pic.twitter.com/larTcyLp0o
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 11, 2017
