"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 June 5.
The 46-day event starts on May 30 and will conclude with the final at Lord's in London on July 14.
"Any team can beat any team ... The gap is much closer now between teams," India coach Ravi Shastri said.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil; Additional reporting by Sachin Ravikumar,; Editing by Euan Rocha and Ed Osmond)
