India will open their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
The ICC tournament returns for the first time since 2017, when India lost the final to Pakistan. The Men in Blue will open their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday (February 20).
"The tournament is returning after a long time. I have always liked this competition because it represents consistency — you have to be among the top eight ranked teams to qualify. The level of competition is always high," Kohli told Star Sports.
Having featured in 2009, 2013 and 2017 editions of the Champions Trophy, Kohli compared the event’s pressure to that of the fast-paced T20 World Cup.
"In ODIs, this tournament creates the same pressure as a T20 World Cup. You only get three or four league games, and if you don’t start well, you’re immediately under pressure. That’s why I like it—you have to be at your best from game one," the former India captain explained.
After the Bangladesh game, India will face arch-rivals Pakistan on March 23 and New Zealand on March 2. All of their matches will be held in Dubai under the event’s hybrid model.
Virat Kohli’s form has been a major topic of discussion ahead of the Champions Trophy. He hasn’t registered a substantial score since his unbeaten hundred in the Perth Test against Australia last November.
While Kohli didn’t feature in the first game of the recently held ODI series against England in Nagpur due to knee issues, he was dismissed for only 5 runs in the second game in Cuttack. The right-hander ended the three-match series with a 52-run knock in Ahmedabad.