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Indian batting icon Virat Kohli admitted that there is a "little bit" of unfinished business left in his career following India's heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup final, recalling that the defeat was difficult to process for many days and saying that had he scored 140-150 runs in the title clash, the result could have been different.
Virat was speaking to JioStar ahead of India's first ODI against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. The 2023 World Cup campaign remains a bittersweet memory for Indian fans, with Team India winning 10 successive matches before suffering defeat in the final. India had dominated their opponents throughout the tournament, while Virat emerged as one of the standout performers with the bat. However, his dismissal for 54 in the final, after a delivery from Pat Cummins was played onto his stumps, proved to be a turning point in the match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Speaking on JioStar, Virat said about the 2023 World Cup final, "Yes, there is a little bit (unfinished business after WC loss at home). Before we won the IPL in 2025, I used to get flashbacks of the 2016 final. I feel the same about the World Cup final as well. I was playing on 54 and had set myself up for a big hundred; like, if I got 140-150, we would be in a great position to win that game. But as soon as I played on, it was very tough to process for many days. And you keep thinking about it." Chase Master said that the whole World Cup was great and the environment was phenomenal because of the camaraderie and the happiness the team shared with each other while playing. "Even losing someone like Hardik early on (due to injury), we never spoke about what would happen next although it was a big loss in terms of what he brings. But, (Mohammed) Shami came and you know what he can do. So, everyone had a feeling that it was our World Cup. There was a different energy altogether, and then when the game shifts like that, it's very difficult to process," he signed off. In the WC final, India was 240 all out after Australia opted to field first. After being reduced to 47/3, Australia was taken towards their sixth title by a counter-attacking 137 from Travis Head and a supporting half-century from Marnus Labuschagne. Virat top-scored in the tournament and made a record for the best World Cup campaign by a batter, with 765 runs in 11 innings at an average of 95.62, with three centuries and six fifties. (ANI)
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