Veteran Indian batter Virat Kohli has shown his liking for the Champions Trophy format, which shows teams need to be at their best from the very first match as well. The ICC tournament returns for the first time since 2017, when Pakistan beat India as well. The Indian team will open their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday (February 20) as well.

“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, Virat Kohli compared the mega event’s pressure to that of the T20 World Cup only as well.

“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 again explained.

However, after the Bangladesh game, India will play against the 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 as well. And, Virat Kohli’s form has been an important topic of discussion ahead of the Champions Trophy as he hasn’t been in great form lately.