Virat Kohli compares India-Pakistan World Cup pressure to Tennis majors

In the ongoing Wimbledon 2025, Indian cricket star Virat Kohli was spotted in attendance alongside his wife, Anushka Sharma, as the couple watched tennis legend Novak Djokovic in action. 

During his visit, Kohli also had a brief interaction with former Indian tennis icon Vijay Amritraj, where he made an interesting India-Pakistan cricket reference while comparing high-pressure moments in tennis and cricket.

The interview was aired on Star Sports, where Kohli shared his thoughts on pressure situations in elite sports. He said, "I think the experience (in pressure situations) can be similar. But the intimidation factor and the pressure that would replicate for us in a World Cup game, a World Cup match between India and Pakistan or a semifinal or a final of the World Cup, your legs are shivering because of sheer pressure."

He further added, "But these players might be facing that from the quarterfinal onwards to the final, which I think is a lot of pressure to handle. I have a lot of respect for tennis players for playing with that composure and maintaining that level of fitness and mental toughness."

Kohli witnessed Djokovic secure a fourth-round win over Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur. He also took the opportunity to express his admiration for the Serbian great and revealed his dream final for this year’s Wimbledon.

"Look, I've been in touch with Novak for a while now. We've exchanged some messages. He's been incredibly gracious and kind to stay in touch. So, I'd say I want Novak and Carlos to be in the final, and ideally for Novak to win this one—because that would be a tremendous achievement for him at this stage of his career," Kohli said.

Meanwhile, Team India are currently in England for the ongoing five-match Test series. After losing the opener at Leeds, India bounced back with a dominant win at Edgbaston to level the series 1-1. The third Test is scheduled to begin on 10 July at Lord’s.

Just before the tour, Kohli made headlines by announcing his retirement from Test cricket. He had earlier retired from T20Is following India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. Going forward, Kohli will represent India only in the ODI format.

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