ICC World Cup 2019 | New Zealand were braver than us and they deserved to win, says Virat Kohli

India were brimming with energy when they started the day’s proceedings after rain had played spoilsport on Wednesday. Starting on 211/5 with almost four overs to go, brilliant death bowling by Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with moments of excellence on the field by Ravindra Jadeja restricted the Black Caps to 239.

However, in a shocking display, the first three Indian batsmen went out for single digits, while Dinesh Karthik could not go past six runs. Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant seemed to ignite hope in the fans and were settling down, but quick wickets once again meant India were left reeling on 92/6. 

“The first half, we were very, very good. With the ball, in the field, we were spot on. We got what we needed at that point. We thought we had restricted New Zealand to a chaseable score on any surface but the way they come out with the ball in the first half-an-hour was what made the difference. We knew we had a good day yesterday and were proud of it. Had a good time in the morning today as well and we had momentum with us,” Virat Kohli stated in the post match presentation, reported Cricbuzz.

Matt Henry was the pick of the bowlers, ending with figures of 3/37, while Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner also claimed two wickets each. It was Boult that got the all important wicket of Jadeja when he was cruising on 77 off 59 and was all set to take India home with just 32 more required, stiching an incredible 116-run partnership with MS Dhoni. However, with Dhoni set on the crease, hopes were pinned on him but just four balls later, an impeccable throw by Martin Guptill ran out the veteran as he returned to the pavilion, head bowed.

“Credit to the New Zealand bowlers, they were really good with the new ball and hit the right areas. I think the skill level on display was there for all to see. I think Jadeja had a really good couple of games and it's his performance today that's a huge positive for his skill-set. MS had a good partnership with him, and again a game of small margins, run out by a small margin,” Kohli added.

From that point onwards, there was no recovery as India were bowled out for 221, suffering their second loss of the tournament, having only lost a solitary game in the league stage. Nevertheless, both the teams played outstanding cricket, and like Kohli said, the better team on the day ended up winning.

“Always feels bad when you play well all tournament and then 45 minutes of bad cricket puts you out. New Zealand deserve it, they put us under more pressure. At times, I think our shot-selection could have been better. Otherwise, we played a really good brand of cricket. Really proud of the way we competed throughout the tournament. As I said, come the knockouts, it's anyone's game and New Zealand showed more composure. They were braver than us and deserve to win. Thanks to all the fans, thanks for coming out in huge numbers,” the new-age Indian skipper concluded.