Former India captain Virat Kohli is just four days away from his 35th birthday which he will be celebrating while playing against South Africa in the ICC World Cup 2023 on November 5.
Kohli has been in prolific form with the bat for India in this tournament, scoring 354 runs at an average of over 62. His birthday will be celebrated in grand style in Kolkata where India will face the Proteas.
Ahead of his birthday, Star Sports did a special feature on Kohli and his journey in international cricket where he himself admitted that he never thought of scoring so many runs and hundreds for Team India since he made his debut in 2008.
Kohli is just one hundred away from equalling Sachin Tendulkar's world record of 49 centuries in ODI cricket.
Kohli thanked the almighty for all that he's achieved in the game and also spoke about the changes he brought in his life to get to get more success over the years.
King Kohli's glorious run in international cricket
"If you talk about cricket, where my career is right now... God has blessed me with the career span and performances. I never thought it would pan out like this. No one can plan these things.
"I never thought I would score so many centuries and runs in 12 years. This has been my dream always about how to make the my team win and give my 100% always for my team. I always thought to do well for my team and make the team win in difficult situations"
"To achieve all this, a lot changes happened with time. Like my discipline, lifestyle. I always had the drive in my but didn't have this much professionalism.
"I developed a single-minded focus on how to play the game. After that the game gave me the results. The game recognises effort, that's what I've learned in my career," Kohli said.
Kohli's form crucial for India in CWC 2023
Barring the rare failure against England in India's last game, Kohli has been the reliable force that India needs to lift its third ODI World Cup title.
India will be hoping that he returns among the runs when they take on Sri Lanka in their next match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 2.
