'Never Thought We'd Play Cricket in the States': Virat Kohli Visits US Consulate in Mumbai Before Leaving for T20 World Cup - WATCH

Ace Indian batter Virat Kohli left India on Thursday night to link up with the members of the Indian cricket team in the United States of America for the T20 World Cup 2024. The former captain boarded his flight from the Mumbai airport and even interacted with the fans and the paparazzi at the airport entrance.

Before leaving for the showpiece event in the West, Kohli met the United States Consulate General Mike Hankey in Mumbai and exchanged pleasantries and well wishes. Hankey greeted Kohli, wishing him luck for the forthcoming tournament. The pictures of them were even shared on the official X handle of the US Consulate Mumbai on Friday morning.

“Let cricket fever take over CG Hankey wishes cricketing legend Virat Kohli good luck as he heads off to the United States for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. We can’t wait to watch Team India and Team USA in action,” wrote the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai on social media.

Meanwhile, Kohli also shared his views on the game of cricket thriving in the states. The ace Indian batter said he had never thought he would be playing a tournament like the T20 World Cup in America.

“Honestly, I never thought, we would be playing cricket in any form, in the States. But now it’s a reality. And that tells you about the growing impact of the sport in the world and the United States is more than willing to accept the change and be probably the first ones on a global scale to accept it, in a way, with the World Cup.

“I think, it’s a great start. It’s the ideal way to begin and it’s going to have a huge impact. And in starting off, a kind of a domino effect and I hope it carries on for a long period of time,” Kohli said.

“We have enough people from our regions to keep the game up and alive in the States and make the others more aware about what it feels like to play and watch cricket. And I think, it’s got great potential, with the MLC as well. There is already franchise cricket happening there. So I think, it’s moving in the right direction,” he added.

Kohli will enter the World Cup following a terrific Indian Premier League (IPL) season in which he scored 741 runs and won the Orange Cap. He will join the team before its warm-up fixture against Bangladesh on June 1 in Nassau County.

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