Senior Indian batter Virat Kohli admitted he felt sad for his good friend Kane Williamson after India defeated New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 final. He recalled that he has been on the losing side against New Zealand before. However, he said that there is only love between him and Williamson.
India won the final by four wickets in Dubai on Sunday, March 9. New Zealand batted first and put up 251-7. India chased the target in 49 overs, with captain Rohit Sharma scoring 76 off 83 balls.
Both Kohli and Williamson had poor outings in the final. However, they played well in the tournament, scoring 218 and 200 runs respectively.
‘Sad to see a very good friend of mine (Kane Williamson) on the losing side’ – Virat Kohli
After India lifted the trophy, Kohli spoke to the host broadcaster. He shared his emotions about Williamson and said (as quoted by Cricbuzz):
“Sad to see a very good friend of mine (Kane Williamson) on the losing side, but I’ve been on the losing side a couple of times when he’s been on the winning side. So only love between us.”
Williamson was the captain when New Zealand defeated India in the 2019 World Cup semifinal. He also led them to victory against India in the 2021 World Test Championship final.
ALSO READ God of cricket
Kohli praised the New Zealand team for their consistent performances despite having fewer resources. He said,
“We’ve always been in awe of what they can do with the limited number of players they’ve had over the years and just maximize their talent to the absolute maximum… They’ve been probably the most consistent team in the last few years in big tournaments. And the reason for that is their immense belief in their skills and the amount of talent they have. So yeah, huge shout-out to them.”
The year 2024 was tough for Kohli. Apart from a half-century in the T20 World Cup final and a century in the Perth Test, he struggled. India also lost the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy 4-1 to Australia.
ALSO READ King of IPL and Cricket – Virat Kohli
Kohli played an important role in India’s Champions Trophy victory. He scored a match-winning 100* against Pakistan in the group stage and 84 in the semifinal against Australia.
