Before IND vs. IRE, Virat Kohli talks about his experience singing the national anthem and an old video surfaces ru

The former captain of India, Virat Kohli, spoke about his unique experience of performing the national anthem before every game in front of a full house. The Men in Blue will play their first Twenty20 World Cup 2024 match at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday, June 5th, against Ireland.

For every athlete, representing their country's cricket team at the international level is the ultimate accolade. Words cannot express the immense feeling you get when the National Anthem is played to you to the thundering acclaim of a packed stadium. The 'goosebump' sensation is familiar to Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli.

Before their first-ever T20 World Cup 2024 encounter against Ireland, a vintage clip of Virat Kohli talking about his experience singing the National Anthem in front of an enthusiastic audience made a reappearance.

"The 2011 World Cup was my first exposure to the National Anthem, particularly when it was performed during large competitions. I had never felt such a feeling of unanimity or unified spirit in one area before. I had never felt anything like the ferocity of it in my life. In an outdated Asia Cup 2022 video released by Star Sports, Virat Kohli said, "It gave me goosebumps all over cause everyone is singing and every person is just focused on one goal that India has to win."

The national team advanced to the final of the ODI World Cup, which was staged in India the year before, but lost to Australia, disappointing the enormous crowd at the world's biggest cricket stadium, Ahmedabad Cricket Stadium.

At that point, nobody is thinking about anything else. And that energy is so strong that you can feel the energy of the audience if you are tuned in and participating in it. When you sing the National Anthem, you can really sense their stress, excitement, and emotions," said Kohli.

"I've had some incredible encounters. 2016 T20 World Cup vs Australia at Eden Gardens, Mohali, India once more. I've participated in the National Anthem many times, but these few stand out in my memory because of the enthusiasm it created in the stadium," the 35-year-old said.

With an outstanding 741 runs for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), Kohli lead the batting rankings.

The 2011 ICC ODI World Cup was India's most recent World Cup victory. However, the Men in Blue have lost both of the ICC Finals in 2023—the ODI World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship—both against Australia.

Following the Ireland encounter, on June 9, India will play Pakistan; on June 12, the USA; and on June 15, Canada.