T20 World Cup 2024: Virat Kohli reveals where team India should take 'motivation and energy' from (WATCH)

As India gears up for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the US and West Indies with hopes pinned on Rohit Sharma's captaincy to break the ICC title drought, bolstered by insights from Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant on fan expectations and player responsibility.

Ovaise Shariff

First Published May 30, 2024, 3:08 PM IST | Last Updated May 30, 2024, 3:08 PM IST

Following a heart-wrenching defeat in the ODI World Cup final against Australia last year, India's quest for an ICC trophy has stretched over a decade. The last time India clinched an ICC tournament was the 2013 Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni's captaincy.

India is set to embark on another journey on the global cricket stage, aiming to break the ICC title drought under Rohit Sharma's leadership at the T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies, starting June 2.

In a video shared by Star Sports, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant discussed India's prospects, fan expectations, and their responsibilities as players.

Rohit Sharma expressed optimism, saying, "We won it in 2007, the inaugural T20 World Cup. Since then, we have made it but we haven't won it. So I think we have a great chance here to come across and be the champion."

Virat Kohli reflected on the expectations, stating, "Expectations will always be there wherever India plays. I won't say it's unrealistic to expect people not to have hope or expectations from us. Cricket is looked at differently in our country; it's our strength as well. It can become a weakness if we pay excessive attention to it. I think we should view it as our strength and draw motivation and energy from it, knowing that we have so many fans behind us who want us to do well."

Rishabh Pant added, "I always enjoy the responsibility because when you come into the team and you feel important, that's when responsibility comes to you. But when you get the responsibility and you can perform well for your team in that situation, that's the best you can do as a player for the team. So I'm looking forward to the responsibility."

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York.

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