This archive report was first published on 29 June 2019.
On June 29, 2019, India captain Virat Kohli spoke about the intense pressure at the World Cup, stating that he thrives under it. As India targets a win against England to seal a semi-final spot, Kohli expressed his excitement about walking into a pressure situation and coming out on top.
India's World Cup Performance ¶
India has impressed at the tournament in England and Wales, winning five of its six league games, with one washout. The team needs to win just one of its last three matches to guarantee progress from the group phase.
Kohli, the world's top-ranked Test and one-day international batsman, has hit four consecutive half-centuries and recently became the fastest batsman to 20,000 international runs across all formats.
England's Struggles ¶
England, on the other hand, is wobbling badly after two straight defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia. They need to beat both India and New Zealand to guarantee a place in the semi-finals. Kohli said he did not know why Eoin Morgan's side, who started the tournament as favorites, had stumbled so badly.
India's middle-order batting has been a concern, with M.S. Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav questioned over slow scoring in the middle overs. However, Kohli defended the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman and the other players, stating that the discussion about their performance is always going to go on because the top order has been strong.
