India bowed out of the semifinals of the ICC World Cup 2019 losing to New Zealand by 18 runs in a rain-marred encounter at Old Trafford in Manchester. Skipper Virat Kohli has spoken for the first time since the World Cup defeat saying that the loss was difficult to digest.
It was difficult to accept: Kohli
India progressed to the semifinals of the tournament topping the group stages with 15 points. But a poor effort in the semifinals ensured their exit from the World Cup. New Zealand bowlers capitalised the overcast conditions to significant effect to rattled a top-class Indian batting order to register their spot in the semifinal for the second consecutive time. Virat Kohli & Co failed to chase down 239 runs set by the Black Caps.
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The Indian skipper for the first time while talking to Times of India, said that acceptance of such a loss was difficult. Virat Kohli said that it’s easy to accept when you make mistakes and point out that but when a team completely outplayed your’s, it is difficult to digest.
You wake up and think you didn’t do much wrong but we are still out,” he said.
“When your belief is right up there and everyone’s playing so well and suddenly you know you’ve been outplayed, it’s very difficult to digest because you know you didn’t make many mistakes to be knocked out. When you make mistakes, you can point them out and take ownership of that but when you have been outplayed then the acceptance becomes difficult,” he added.
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Despite the shocking defeat in the World Cup, Virat Kohli stated that he has urged his teammates to keep their head high. He also said that if the lose demoralises the players, it will put extra pressure on them. He also urged his colleagues to be humble and to be proud of their achievements in the last few months.
“Most importantly, it builds your character because suddenly this thing happens. What we have spoken to the team is that you should be proud of the way you have played and must never forget that,” he said.
“The moment you start taking credit away from what you’ve done, you start putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. The important thing is to be humble about what you do but at the same time, don’t beat yourself up to the extent that you lose your admiration. That balance is very important,” Kohli concluded.
