Virat Kohli expresses admiration for New Zealand after ICC Champions Trophy final

It was a quintessential show of teamwork from the Men in Blue as they romped past New Zealand in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final. However, the Kiwis were equally brilliant throughout the tournament and did put up a stunning fight as a unit which pushed India to their very limits.

Talking in a post-match interview, Virat Kohli pointed out how good the Blackcaps were, underscoring their impeccable situational awareness and top-notch game-reading. He also lauded their consistency while sharing a thought for his very good friend, Kane Williamson.

Kohli 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 maximise their talent to the absolute maximum. Every time you played against them in big games, you know they’re going on with a set plan. No other team executes their plans as well as they do. Every fielder knows exactly where the bowler is going to bowl and you can sense it when they attack the ball, the bowler is going to be so accurate and they know.”

He concluded by stating, “Credit to them, they’ve probably been the most consistent team over the last few years in big tournaments and the reason for that is their immense belief in their skills and the amount of talent that they have to utilise it to the maximum. They’re easily the best fielding side in the world. Huge shoutout to them, they continue to display why they are one of the top teams in the world, again a great campaign. Sad to see a very good friend of mine on the losing side (on Kane Williamson), but I’ve been on the losing side a couple of times when he’s been on the winning side. Only love between us.”