India feel confident before ‘most challenging’ World Cup, says Kohli

India's captain Virat Kohli gestures during a news conference at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai, India - REUTERS 

MUMBAI (Reuters): India are very confident about their form, captain Virat Kohli said on Tuesday before his squad depart for the 10-nation World Cup in England and Wales starting next week.

“Personally, I think this is probably the most challenging World Cup of all the three that I’ve been part of, because of the format,” the 30-year-old Kohli told reporters in Mumbai ahead of the team’s departure.

The World Cup will use a revised format to decide the semi-finalists, with the teams all playing each other in the round-robin stage.

“We go into the World Cup feeling very balanced and confident. All our players have been in great form in the IPL,” Kohli said referring to the Indian Premier League which ended this month.

The India squad will travel to England on Wednesday in their quest for a third World Cup title. They begin their campaign against South Africa in Southampton on 5 June.

The 46-day event starts on 30 May and will conclude with the final at Lord’s in London on 14 July.

“Any team can beat any team ... The gap is much closer now between teams,” India coach Ravi Shastri said.