India’s talisman Virat Kohli has picked the 2011 World Cup winning moment as the highlight of his career. Kohli was only 23 when he became a World Cup winner and didn’t understand the magnitude of the win. Kohli made 282 runs in nine matches in the 2011 World Cup, including 35 runs in the all-important final against Sri Lanka. Kohli also scored a century and a fifty in that World Cup.

The linchpin was part of India’s squad in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups but India lost in the semifinal stages on both occasions. India was able to come up with a collective effort in the 2011 World Cup while playing in their own conditions under the captaincy of former skipper MS Dhoni.

“My career highlight is obviously winning the World Cup in 2011. I was 23 at the time, and I probably didn’t understand the magnitude of it. But now at 34, and has played many World Cups, which we haven’t been able to win, So, I understand the emotions of all the senior players (in 2011),” Kohli was quoted as saying by PTI.

Kohli recalled that it was a special moment for legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing his last World Cup in 2011 and finally fulfilled his long-time dream.

“All the more for Sachin Tendulkar, as it was his last World Cup. He had already played many World Cups by then and to win it in Mumbai, his hometown, was very special for him. I mean, it was stuff from dreams,” the former captain added.

Reflecting on the experience, Kohli said there was a lot of pressure, “I remember the amount of pressure there was on all the players when we were traveling. Thankfully, there was no social media back then. It would have been a nightmare, honestly. But through the airports, it was always just one thing — we need to win the Cup.”

India will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on October 8.