Virat Kohli talked about India's 18-run loss to New Zealand in the first semifinal of the 2019 World Cup.
New Zealand defeated India in the first semifinal of the 2019 World Cup at Old Trafford in Manchester. Chasing 240 to win, India faced a huge setback early after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were dismissed with 5 runs on the board.
Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya weathered the storm after Dinesh Karthik also departed cheaply, and MS Dhoni, then, built a century-partnership with Ravindra Jadeja.
After Jadeja’s dismissal on 77, India’s chances looked bleak and the hopes diminished after Dhoni was dismissed, courtesy a brilliant direct hit from Martin Guptill.
This was India’s second-consecutive loss in the semifinals of the World Cup. In 2015, Australia defeated India in the knock-out round before cruising to their fifth World Cup victory.
Virat Kohli talked to Simon Doull after the game, and stressed that New Zealand deserved to go through to the final.
“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 chase-able 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.
“Credit to the New Zealand bowlers, they were really good with the new ball and hit the right areas. I think it was the skill level on display (from NZ bowlers) was there for all to see,” Kohli said.
The Indian skipper also praised Ravindra Jadeja, who also took a wicket and conceded only 30 runs in 10 overs.
“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.
“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 skipper said.
