Virat Kohli played a key role in India’s six-wicket victory over Australia in their World Cup 2023 opener at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday (October 8).

Chasing 200 to win, the hosts were reduced to 2/3, with Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer getting out for a duck. Amid the pressure situation, Kohli stood up to the plate once again as he added 165 runs for the fourth wicket with KL Rahul to bail India out of trouble.

While Kohli got out after scoring 85 off 116 balls, Rahul stayed unbeaten on 97 off 115 balls to take India over the finishing line with 52 deliveries to spare.

A day after the game, Kohli and Rahul interacted with each other for bcci.tv and reflected on their match-winning partnership after a terrible start.

The conversation soon shifted to India’s next World Cup match against Afghanistan in Delhi on Wednesday (October 11). The Arun Jaitely Stadium happens to be Kohli’s home turf and he also has a pavilion named after him at the venue.

"For me, that is the stadium where I grew up playing age-group, Ranji cricket. I also played for India there. Those memories stay fresh in your mind. You can feel it because that is where everything started, selectors saw you for the first time and gave you an opportunity. It is special to go back and play at Arun Jaitley Stadium," Kohli told Rahul.

"It is awkward for me to be playing in front of a pavilion named after me. I do not like to talk about it a lot. But it is a great honour and I feel happy and grateful about it, it is something I never felt would happen to me," he added.

Kohli further said that the morale of the team is very high after beating Australia and they are hoping to build on this.

"The team feels great after a win like this. Hopefully, we can build on this and go a long way in this tournament," he stated.