India’s semi-final defeat from New Zealand in the World Cup 2019 in England and Wales is still a bad memory that cannot be erased easily. A game which lasted two days, resulted in an 18-run defeat, ending India’s hopes of a World Cup victory under skipper Virat Kohli.
Opening up about that bitter memory of falling short in a World Cup semi-final, Virat Kohli spoke to India Today and shared his experience on how his ego emerged in between the victory and defeat for the Indian team. With a strong batting record, while chasing targets, Kohli thought that the battle was already won before he entered the field.
Virat Kohli reveals his reason regarding the defeat against New-Zealand in semi-final World cup 2019:
He said, “Do I get affected by failures. Yes, I do. Everyone does. At the end of the day, I know my team would need me. I had the feeling so strong in my heart that I am going to come not out and make India go through that tough phase [in the semi-final]. But then again, maybe that was my ego talking because how can you predict something like that? You can only have a strong feeling or maybe it was a strong desire to do something like that.”
“I hate losing. I don’t want to walk out and say I could have done this. When I step out on the field, it’s a privilege. When I walk out, I want to have zero energy. We want to leave behind a legacy that future cricketers will say we want to play like that.” Kohli added.
However, Kohli made it clear that no matter what the result is, he wanted himself as well as his team to give their best while walking out from the field. According to him, having regrets after the match doesn’t help anyone and, therefore, demands perfection from his players while playing for India.
