Team India's talismanic batter Virat Kohli has spoken about the growth of cricket in the United States of America (USA) ahead of the much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2024.
The USA will be co-hosting the prestigious tournament alongside the West Indies, slated to take place from June 2 to 29. The upcoming T20 World Cup will be the first ICC event to feature matches played in the United States. The USA won the right to co-host the showpiece event back in 2021.
In a video shared by US Consulate Mumbai on its X handle (formerly Twitter), Virat Kohli admitted that India would have never thought of the opportunity to play cricket in the USA. He also lauded the States for their willingness to accept the change by bringing in cricket.
"Honestly, I never thought that we would be playing cricket in any form in the States. Now, it's a reality. That tells you about the growing impact of the sport in the world and in the United States more than willing to accept the change and be probably the first ones on a global scale to accept it." Kohli said in a video.
"The World Cup is a great way to start with. It's an ideal way to begin. So, I think it's going to have a huge impact. And, starting off with kind of a domino effect and that carries on for a long period of time." he added.
Recently, USA Cricket pulled off one of the big upsets by defeating strong Bangladesh side in the three-match T20I series. The USA sealed the series by winning the second match in Houston. Monank Patel-led side received a much needed boost in their confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
'It's moving in the right direction': Kohli
Former India captain reckons that cricket in the USA is moving in a right direction, with Major League Cricket playing a vital role in popularizing the sport in the country.
'It's has great potential with the MLC. There's already franchise happening in the States. I think, it's moving in the right direction." Virat Kohli.
Major League Cricket (MLC) was launched in 2021 to promote cricket further in the States. Two years later, in 2023, the first edition of the tournament was played, featuring six teams, including MI New York, Los Angeles Knight Riders, Texas Super Kings, Washington Freedom, San Francisco Unicorns and Seattle Orcas.
Meanwhile, India will play all their group stage matches at the newly built Nassau International Cricket Stadium in the New York. Men in Blue will begin their T20 World Cup title quest against Ireland on June 5.
