‘Wanted to bounce back after a tough Australia tour’ – Kohli

Wanted to bounce back after a tough Australia tour' – Kohli

India won the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand on Sunday (March 9). Here are the reactions from the winning side:

• Virat Kohli: "We wanted to bounce back after a tough Australia tour, wanted to win a big tournament and we ended up doing that. It's an amazing feeling, lovely playing with a bunch of such amazing youngsters, so much talent in the change room and they're taking Indian cricket forward in the right direction."

• Kohli on the team's performance: "These are the things after playing for so long, such a long career, you look forward to situations where you're put under pressure and you walk in and you put your hand up. And I think to win titles, which has kind of been missing in the past, the whole team has to step up in different games. And if you see this tournament over the course of five matches, everyone has put their hand up somewhere or the other. And that's why we ended up winning this tournament."

• Kohli on sharing his experience: "I try to speak to these guys as much as possible, try to share my experience, how I've been able to play for so long, try to step in wherever I can to help improve their games. And yeah, it's only as they rightly say, when you leave, you want to leave the place in a better position. And that's our effort."

• Kohli on New Zealand: "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. Every time we played against them in big games, you know they're going to come with a set plan. And no other team in world cricket executes plans as well as they do."

• Rohit Sharma: "It's hard to put in words. But, yeah, it's just pure skill and the way we've all played our cricket growing up. And, you know, where we've had to face a lot of challenges, we've had to face pressure from the time we held the bat and from the time we decided to be professional cricketers. So, I think it's just the first class cricket, BCCI, how they've groomed every player, every talented player that comes around and giving us opportunities and platform to showcase our skills and to put ourselves under pressure and keep challenging ourselves and getting better. I think it all comes down to that."

• Shubman Gill: "Felt amazing, you know, for the most time I was just sitting back and enjoying Rohit Bhai's batting but I think we kept talking to each other and the partnership was very important for us and we kept talking. Rohit Bhai told me it doesn't matter how many balls you are behind, just keep looking at the scoreboard, you have to play till the end."

• Hardik Pandya: "Amazing to win an ICC event and especially Champions Trophy. You know, I remember 2017 very closely to my heart. We could not finish out the job then that time, but very very pleased with the way we have played throughout the tournament and at the same point of time, how everyone contributed."

• KL Rahul: "That was calm, composed, you know he (KL Rahul) took his chances at the right point of time. I think this is what KL Rahul is. He has immense talent and I don't think anyone can hit the ball the way he can. I think that was just an exhibition of how he did today."

• Suryakumar Yadav: "I'm feeling ecstatic, to be honest. It's ineffable and hard to say it in words, to be honest. This is my first ICC trophy and I'm kind of overwhelmed looking at each and every one in the dressing room, the way we've turned up towards this tournament and the way we progressed. It was simply magnificent."

• Ravindra Jadeja: "To be honest, I love to go under pressure whenever there's a challenge. I feel I thrive under pressure and I love such moments. It's just that I've been getting amazing starts in the tournament and not able to get a big one. But at the end of the day, if I'm able to contribute to a team victory, that is immensely satisfying and I'm truly happy."

• Jadeja on his batting number: "My batting number is such that I'm either a hero or a zero at the end of the game. It was important that KL and Hardik did well in that partnership, them scoring runs was a game changing moment. The wicket wasn't easy going into batting at first. It's an important tournament, playing for India and winning the Champions Trophy for the country is big, you do regret when you don't be part of winning teams after having played for so many years. But I'm lucky that I've managed to be fit enough and performed at the highest level in winning the two tournaments, the 2024 T20 WC and the Champions Trophy now."

• Rohit Sharma on managing the spinners: "It is not like it happens in one day. It was a plan since 2-3 days of how and what to bowl. We will party and the entire nation will party as well."