Winning Under-19 World Cup was a stepping stone for me, reveals Virat Kohli

The U-19 World Cup often provides a stage for young prodigies to announce themselves on the international stage. One such young prodigy had led India to victory in the 2008 U-19 World Cup and went on to become one of the best batsmen of the modern generation. That batsman is none other than Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

Kohli believed that winning the U-19 World Cup was an important landmark in his career as it provided an opportunity for him to showcase his batting and leadership ability and developed him into a world-class player.

"I have always maintained that it was probably the most crucial phase of my development as a cricketer because that was probably the second time that the World Cup started being aired on TV. Many people score runs and do well but when you watch someone play, you know there's something different," said Virat Kohli.

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Kohli reckoned that the ability of people to see young players like him, Manish Pandey, Ravindra Jadeja, etc. at that World Cup on television increased their chances of getting into the Indian reckoning and fast-tracked them into the Indian team.

"I am grateful that the tournament was aired on TV because everyone watched us play, we were picked into the IPL and people started thinking that these guys could do something in future. I think it was a great stepping stone and winning that tournament was a boost for us," Kohli stated.

"I think when you have the chance to show what you can do in front of the world, it really provides you with a rare opportunity," he added.