The loss still rankles
The Black Caps defeated pre-tournament
"Even if you want to think of revenge, these guys are so nice you cannot get into that zone," said Kohli at the pre-match press conference.
"We get along really well with these guys and it's all about being competitive on the field. As I said in England, they are probably one side that has set the example for teams to play international cricket," he reasoned.
Lauding the affable
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Williamson and his men had drawn effusive praise for their grace in the aftermath of a heartbreaking World Cup final loss to England, a game that was decided on boundary count after scores were tied.
"It is not about any kind of revenge - it is two quality sides playing good cricket. It is a challenge to beat New Zealand
The India skipper said the Kiwis are
"They will have
Speaking about his team, Kohli reiterated that KL Rahul's dual role as a batsman and wicket-keeper is providing better balance to the side. He said he won't read much into criticism that may come his way by letting Rahul bat in
"As I
"And I know there will be a lot said about, talks around what happens to other players and what not, but the most important thing is what the team requires and the best balance we can create for the side," he said, in a veiled reference to the future of designated keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant.
Talking about Rahul's ascendancy in the white-ball formats since the 2019 World Cup, Kohli said, "He's open to accepting any kind of role, whatever the team wants. He is a total team man and you can tell the way he keeps as well. He is always looking for an opportunity and looking to make a play. He's not nervous about it."
Rahul replaced Shikhar Dhawan against the West Indies and partnered Rohit Sharma at the top.
Dhawan returned to pair up with Rahul against Sri Lanka, but was injured against Australia and is missing this tour as a result.
"If you talk about replacements, we have a lot of T20 players around and people who are very experienced when it comes to playing T20 cricket. Having played a lot of matches in the IPL, on A tours and series, I don't see an issue of replacement.
"Look, whenever he (Dhawan) is back in the
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