WTC Final: ‘New Zealand put us under pressure throughout the Test,’ admits Virat Kohli

WTC Final: ‘New Zealand put us under pressure throughout the Test,’ admits Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

After two years of hard work and some iconic victories, team India couldn’t hold their nerves when it mattered the most. The Virat Kohli-led side suffered a trembling defeat by eight wickets against New Zealand at the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final. 

India skipper Virat Kohli congratulated NZ captain Kane Williamson and his side on registering this historic win. He further highlighted that the Kiwis kept India under pressure throughout the game. Kohli hailed the Indian bowlers for producing a great performance while mentioning that another 30-40 runs by the batsmen in the second innings could have piled up a decent target.

“First up, a big congratulations to Kane and his team. They’ve shown great consistency and heart, and pull off a result in three days. They put us under pressure throughout the Test and did extremely well to win. It was difficult to get momentum on Day 2, and we did really well with the ball in the first innings. This morning was the difference where their bowlers executed their plans to perfection and didn’t give us scoring opportunities. We were 30-40 short of giving them a good target,” Kohli said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

‘Don’t regret announcing my playing XI beforehand’: Kohli

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli at the post-match presentation ceremony

The Indian skipper further talked about announcing the playing XI one day before the Test match and not making any changes as per the changing weather. Kohli also lauded NZ’s star performer and ‘Man of the Match’ Kyle Jamieson for his all-round show.

“I don’t regret announcing my XI beforehand, because you need an all-rounder in the side but we made a unanimous decision that these are the best XI we can take into the park. Jamieson is coming up nicely in international cricket – good areas with the ball, and he can bat quite well too. He’s had a great game and he deserves the man of the match award,” Kohli added.

While saying “Test cricket is the heartbeat of the game”, Kohli mentioned that the organisation of the WTC is a great move by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“It’s great for the game (WTC) and the more Test cricket is given importance, the better it will be for international cricket. It’s a great move by ICC. Test cricket is the heartbeat of the game. It’s a long summer ahead and we are really looking forward to the next series (Tests against England),” he signed off.

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