WTC Final | New Zealand showed great heart and put us under pressure throughout, asserts Virat Kohli

India, who were riding high on Test series wins against Australia and England this year, were outplayed by New Zealand in the World Test Championship final. The outcome of the game was decided on the reserve day after two days were washed out. India's worst fears in swinging conditions came to the fore as they collapsed not once but twice in the game. Not only the batting wasn't up to the mark, but Indian seamers also didn't get as much movement as their counterparts with the Kiwi pacers putting up a masterclass in both innings.

On day six, India got off to the worst possible start as they lost the experienced trio of Kohli (13), Pujara (15) and Rahane (15) cheaply, all playing poot shots and it put a lot of pressure on the lower-order. Rishabh Pant, pretty much like he has done this year, tried to play the rescue act to make 41 but despite that, India got all-out on 170. Kohli felt the morning session made all the difference. 

Kyle Jamieson was one of the stars of the game. He even had his RCB's skipper Virat Kohli's wicket in both innings. Kohli applauded the Kiwi pacer and said he bowled in good areas and got the reward. Kohli, one of the ardent supporters of Test cricket, also stated that WTC is great for the game and praised the ICC for the move to start such a Test championship.

"Jamieson is coming up nicely in international cricket - good areas with the ball, and he can bat quite well too. He's had a great game and he deserves the man of the match award. It's great for the game (WTC) and the more Test cricket is given importance, the better it will be for international cricket. It's a great move by ICC. Test cricket is the heartbeat of the game. It's a long summer ahead and we are really looking forward to the next series (Tests against England)," he said.