virat kohli
Virat Kohli feels the ICC WT20 will be challenging, but India have the confidence to produce good resultsIANS

Being positive has remained the key for the India cricket team ahead of every major competition and the ICC World T20 2016 will be no different. Virat Kohli, the integral part of the Men in Blue, has admitted that if they don't have the belief that they will be the champions, nothing will happen.

India take on New Zealand in their opening game of the mega Twenty20 event on Tuesday at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur.

Ahead of their first game, Kohli, who has remained sensational for Team India this calendar year, said it has been the belief and the confidence that have taken the Indian team ahead so far and those two things will also help them progress further ahead to winning more glories. 

India enter the tournament as the No 1 ranked team in the ICC T20 rankings and there is also the tag of favourites attached to them. Kohli feels it's obvious that the recent results of the Men in Blue have made them earn that and having the 'favourites' tag is a major boost progressing in the competition.

"If you know your home conditions well and you are playing good cricket, then obviously people will expect that you will go far in the tournament," the 27-year-old was quoted as saying by the Times of India." "And we are obviously favourites in our own minds -- if we aren't then there is no chance of progressing in the tournament." 

"The important thing is to focus on every game, because in this tournament if your focus wavers, the game moves so quickly that making comebacks becomes very difficult, as a batsman, as a bowler or as a team, all three," he added.

MS Dhoni's men won ten of their 11 T20Is this calendar year itself and that comes as a major confidence booster going into their first match against the Kiwis. After a 3-0 T20 series win over Australia in January, Dhoni and co defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 in another three-match T20 series win.

After that, they remained unbeaten in the Asia Cup 2016 and eventually, landed the trophy home after beating Bangladesh in the 15-over final this month.

"We are very confident with the way we have been playing. We have won 10 out of the 11 last games we have played, taking some good momentum in to the World Cup," Kohli continued. "The Asia Cup was a good preparation for us for a big tournament; getting the feel of playing against the big teams. But this is going to be far more challenging because you teams from all over the world competing here," he remarked.