Two back-to-back T20 World Cup titles, which ended India’s long-standing ICC trophy drought, and a Champions Trophy triumph could not completely erase the heartbreak of November 19, 2023, which remains fresh in the minds of ardent cricket followers. Rohit Sharma still talks about it. But for Virat Kohli, the semifinal loss to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup was an even more painful experience.
The first semifinal of the 2019 World Cup, between India and New Zealand, stretched across two days. Persistent rain in Manchester saw the match suspended in the 47th over of New Zealand’s innings before play resumed the following day, when the Black Caps finished on 239/8. India fell 18 runs short in the chase, with most remembering the defeat for MS Dhoni’s heartbreaking run-out by Martin Guptill in the 49th over.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who picked up three wickets in that game, called the defeat “heartbreaking” in a recent interview. Kohli agreed, adding that the loss left him distraught.
“Playing Australia in the 2015 semifinal, you are very well aware of your strength and weaknesses and Australia is always difficult. We always knew that if it gets to a massive score, it will be tough, and that is what happened. They were phenomenal. But 2019 was a jolt for us. 240... it rained out. Had we played that day, things would have been different. But next morning, fresh new ball attack. They got the best of the conditions and they put us under attack and they banked on the hesitation that we had. That was too tough to swallow and process. I was distraught. After that I was totally gone mentally for a couple of months,” he told JioStar ahead of India’s first ODI against West Indies.
Reflecting on the 2023 World Cup, Kohli called India’s campaign a “massive step forward” in terms of both talent and performance. But what stood out for him during the run to the final was the positive dressing-room environment.
{{/usCountry}}Reflecting on the 2023 World Cup, Kohli called India’s campaign a “massive step forward” in terms of both talent and performance. But what stood out for him during the run to the final was the positive dressing-room environment.
{{/usCountry}}“That whole World Cup was great, the environment was phenomenal. Within the team, you could see the camaraderie; everyone was happy playing for each other. Even losing someone like Hardik early on, we never spoke about what would happen next although it was a big loss in terms of what he brings. But, Shami came and you know what he can do. So, everyone had a feeling that it was our World Cup,” he added.
Yet, the defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad was difficult for Kohli to process as well.
“Before we won the IPL in 2025, I used to get flashbacks of the 2016 final. I feel the same about the World Cup final as well. I was playing on 54 and had set myself up for a big hundred; like, if I got 140-150, we would be in a great position to win that game. But as soon as I played on, it was very tough to process for many days. And you keep thinking about it.”
Kohli also opened up about his unfinished business with the World Cup.
“The thought will never cross my mind that the business I had is finished. As long as you’re playing, there is always something to look forward to. And I’m looking forward to the World Cup, looking at what lies ahead for me.
“When the World Cup is played, when we play an ICC tournament, it has its own unique challenge, because you face different opponents, you play at different venues. So, you have to prepare differently, think in a different way and that is the challenge,” he said.
Kohli has confirmed that the 2027 ICC tournament will be his last World Cup for India, making his reflections on the 2019 and 2023 heartbreaks even more significant. “For me, it’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India. And that is my motivation,” he added.