My friendship with Virat Kohli is deeper than a game of cricket, says Kane Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, in an interview with Cricbuzz, said that the relationship he shares with his India counterpart Virat Kohli goes well beyond the boundaries of a cricket field.

New Zealand defeated India in the final of the inaugural edition of the ICC World Championship, with Williamson scoring an unbeaten half-century as the Kiwis chased down the 139-run target on the last day of the match.

At the end of the game, the New Zealand skipper shared a warm embrace with Kohli, who he has known since their Under-19 days.

Reflecting on that moment, Williamson said that both he and Kohli are great friends and they value that deeply.

“That was a great moment. We knew anytime you play against India, wherever you are, it’s an incredibly tough challenge. They often set the benchmark in our game in all formats. They show that with the depth that they have and cricket in their country as well,” said Williamson.

“And the friendship with Virat stems back a number of years and a number of sorts of different times. And it was cool. We always know that there’s a bigger picture to it all. It was a really nice moment and our friendship and relationship are deeper than a game of cricket. And we both know that,” he added.

Williamson also said that the WTC final was a hard-fought contest and both teams deserved credit for the fight they put up.

“Both teams were very competitive and played really hard and the game was so close. I know the end result tells you one thing. Throughout the match, it felt like it was on a knife’s edge and you had full respect for that. At the end of it, after a long tough match like that, there’s an appreciation by both teams. Someone gets the trophy, and a team perhaps doesn’t get the fortune to have that,” he said.

Read Kane Williamson’s full interview with Cricbuzz here.