ICC tournament triumph is an obsession for all players says Virat Kohli

A major ICC trophy is something that has been eluding not only Virat Kohli but also Team India for over half a decade now. India had suffered a heartbreaking exit from the World Cup 2019 earlier this year after a narrow loss to New Zealand in the semi-final. It was a tournament in which the Men In Blue were touted as the strong favorites to lift the title but yet again it was a case of so near yet so far. Meanwhile, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has made it clear that he wishes to win an ICC title.

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Virat Kohli on the obsession of winning an ICC trophy

During his recent interview with a renowned sports journalist, Virat Kohli said that winning an ICC tournament is like obsession or like a wish that people have and that it is a beautiful thing to wish for because it is seen at a global level and every cricketer would want to win that.

Prior to the home series against South Africa in September, Virat Kohli had made it clear about the Men In Blue's approach in the game's shortest format keeping in mind the next year's ICC World T20 which is scheduled to be held in Australia.

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Team India's ICC title drought

India's last win at an ICC tournament had come in 2013 when they lifted the Champions Trophy by defeating England under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. However, the Indian team has had a lean patch since then in the multi-nation tournaments. They lost to Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20 final and then failed to defend the world title that they had won in 2011 as they were knocked out by the eventual champions Australia in the semis in 2015. In the following year, India, who were seen as the favorites to lift the World T20 at home were eliminated by West Indies in the semi-finals. MS Dhoni would lead India for the last time in an ICC event. In 2017, the Virat Kohli-led Indian side were outclassed by arch-rivals Pakistan in all three departments of the game in the Champions Trophy final. Two years later, the Men In Blue had to be content finishing as the semi-finalists in the World Cup.

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