Virat Kohli amused at New Zealand team called 'Bunch of Nice Guys', here's why

The inaugural World Test Championship Final is all set to get underway in a few hours at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Ahead of the high-octane clash, Indian skipper Virat Kohli addressed the media where he spoke about a plethora of topics. During the interaction, Kohli had a problem with New Zealand players being referred to as 'the nice guys' of world cricket.

Virat Kohli not pleased with New Zealand being referred to as 'the nice guys'

Speaking about the same, Kohli said that he doesn't understand the term' nice guys'. He added that no other team has bad guys in it. According to the Indian captain, New Zealand is a team with quality players, and it's serious stuff out there and just not fun and games. He reiterated that the IND vs NZ WTC Final is a huge Test match and they have been waiting for the opportunity.

Kohli further said that having played against each other so much over the last few years, Kane Williamson and him have become friends. He added that they stay in touch and there is a good vibe when they meet. However, he elaborated that when the team steps into the field, they want to get Kane Williamson and everyone else in the New Zealand team out as early as possible which is something that Kiwis would want to do to them too. Kohli reckoned that all the camaraderie, understanding and bonding happens off the field but on the field, it's all business.

Virat Kohli reveals how change in ranking system helped team find motivation

Virat Kohli also opened up on the challenges they faced during the WTC campaign after the ICC changed the ranking points system and how they used them to motivate themselves. The sudden change in rules meant that India needed to win the two remaining series against Australia (away) and England (home) to reach the final which they did successfully. Opening up on the same, the 32-year old said it wasn’t supposed to be a topsy-turvy ride to the WTC final. He added that when one is sitting at home and the rules change suddenly, it creates confusion.

Kohli stated that they didn’t choose to miss any matches in this WTC cycle and in their minds, they had already qualified for the final way before things got complicated. However, he admitted that in hindsight, whatever happened was for the best. Elaborating further, the Indian captain opined that if they had qualified earlier, maybe they would have relaxed a little bit. According to Kohli, the situation they faced made them more hungry and determined. which they used as fuel and motivation to move forward.

WTC Final date and time

The IND vs NZ WTC Final is scheduled to take place from June 18-22 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, and the match will start at 3:00 PM (IST) for each day. After concluding India vs New Zealand WTC Final, the India squad for WTC Final will face England in the India vs England Test Series that will consist of 5 Test matches. The first Test match from the series will start on August 4 at Trent Bridge.

India playing 11 for WTC Final

Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami

IMAGE SOURCE: PTI/ NEW ZEALAND CRICKET WEBSITE