Indian captain Virat Kohli has not forgotten the heartbreak of the 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat. India’s journey in the tournament was cut short by an inspired New Zealand side and the skipper still thinks about those 30 minutes - when India’s top order was blown away by Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson. In what has otherwise been a hugely successful year for the side, the manner of defeat sticks out like a sore thumb.
“The losses that we had in England is something that we as a team would have wanted to change but again having said that things have to be a certain way and maybe this was always meant to be and we had to go through those hard times to reach where we are today,” Kohli said while speaking on Star Sports’ Follow the Blues show.
ALSO READ: India, England, Australia boards plan four-nation event to counter ICC
Speaking after the series win against West Indies, the captain reflected on the year gone by and said that it was a good year for his side and picked out the pacers for being stellar and taking the focus away from the spinners even in Indian conditions.
“2019 has been one of the best years for Indian cricket,” Kohli said after victory in Cuttack on Sunday. “Apart from the 30 minutes (in the semifinal loss against New Zealand) in the World Cup, it’s been a great year. We’ll keep chasing that ICC trophy, this group deserves it for the amount of hard work we have put in. We have a vision in place.”
{{/usCountry}}“2019 has been one of the best years for Indian cricket,” Kohli said after victory in Cuttack on Sunday. “Apart from the 30 minutes (in the semifinal loss against New Zealand) in the World Cup, it’s been a great year. We’ll keep chasing that ICC trophy, this group deserves it for the amount of hard work we have put in. We have a vision in place.”
{{/usCountry}}“Having a bunch of fast bowlers like this, who can just bowl out any opposition anywhere, is a brilliant thing to have in Indian cricket. [It’s] something that we haven’t quite relied on in the past, but I think them taking the attention away from the spinners in India is a huge statement, so I think that’s what makes us feel that when we travel now, we have it in us to win a series, and not just one-odd Test match here and there. So I think it’s been hard work, persistence, learning the game, thinking about the game that’s got them to where they are and they deserve it fully,” Kohli further added.