Virat Kohli posts heartfelt message to fans after World Cup ouster
Team India captain Virat Kohli thanked the fans for making the tournament memorable after India were ousted from the tournament by New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 2019 World Cup in Manchester. 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.
Taking to Instagram, Kohli said thanked the fans. Here's what the skipper had to say. "Firstly I want to thank all our fans who came in huge numbers to support the team. You made it a memorable tournament for all of us and we felt the love showered upon the team for which we are very grateful. We are all disappointed and share the same emotions as you. We gave everything we had. Have to accept this and move forward. Jai hind."
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.
“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.
