Mohali: Five years ago, Virat Kohli was a 21-year-old when he played the World Cup semi-final against Pakistan at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here. India won the high-voltage clash and went on to bag the Cup.

On Sunday, Kohli, now the mainstay of Indian batting and captain in the game's longest version, would be involved in yet another important tie - a virtual quarter-final of the World T20 against Australia at the same venue. Looking back, the Indian star now realises how he had matured as a cricketer after the Pakistan game.

"One thing I have learnt is that if you play well in semis and finals of the World Cup, you become more confident as a player. The occasion (in 2011) was too overwhelming for me. I had seen the Prime Ministers of both countries present at the ground.

"It is very easy to look at all these and not focus on what you have to do. It is very important to be aware of the moment and celebrate after it is all done," said Kohli.

The Indian star is well aware of the fact that the match against Australia on Sunday night could be the toughest in the competition so far - a defeat would put the entire team on the back foot despite impressive showings in T20 cricket over the last few months.

Kohli said the Indians would derive positives from the fact that they hammered the Australians 3-0 in the T20 series recently. At the same time, the unpredictability of the format should be kept in mind, Kohli reminded.

"This format requires you to be at the top of your focus while batting and fielding. So we need to stay in the moment and not get carried away. You always want to win convincingly but it is not possible all times. Sometimes you have to adapt well to tough situations like we did in the last two games.

"If you look at how we have played this season, we have been consistent. We can focus on what we did in Australia and take the positives out of it, but can't take anything for granted... It is a virtual quarter final.

"Why we beat them is important to remember rather than thinking only about the result. If we play to our potential, we can beat them again," said Kohli.

Asked whether Australia would come hard at him, Kohli said he was not bothered about it.

"I tend to thrive on those situations. But you cannot get into the ground with that mindset. You need to be versatile... You must be able to play within yourself as well. If I do get into a debate and if I have to take a certain stand, that doesn't necessarily put me off my game. Australia are a side that we all know is a very strong side. They play with a lot of passion. I believe in playing the same way. I like the challenge. I've always enjoyed playing against Australia," he said.

The captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kohli said, would be very important. He narrated the sequence of events that led to India's win over Bangladesh in the last game with Dhoni sprinting towards the stumps to run out the batsman off the last ball.

"I think experience counts a lot over the years. Dhoni has captained India in so many big games over the years... He has finished so many big games on his own. The self confidence and self assurance gets built over time. His biggest positive quality is, as everyone knows, he remains very calm and composed in these situations.

"Ashu bhai (Ashish Nehra) was also there very calm. He did discuss with Mahi bhai since he was at short fine leg. We were in the boundary, so we couldn't give many inputs. That was a very important moment for us in the game.

"The biggest thing was that MS didn't throw the ball. I think that was commendable because it was a big risk. But he took the risk calmly and he was sure that he could beat the batsman in speed... It was the most brilliant move in that pressure situation," said Kohli. <>Asked whether it was meditation that helps him stay calm in pressure cooker situations, Kohli laughed.

"When I started playing, a lot about me was wrong. I was the tattoo guy, the one who wore stylish clothes. It is very easy to focus on the negative things, but I choose not do that. The basic thinking is I want to improve as a cricketer every day. I make sure I do all the hard work and hope it pays off one day. I back myself to go out there and win the game," Kohli said.