India and Pakistan have been rivals ever since India got independence in 1947 and their rivalry is evident in all formats and platforms. Whether it is a cricket match or a hockey game, the fans are always geared up to watch the clash of these two titans.
India’s record against Pakistan has been flawless for the past 6-7 years, with consecutive wins in a row; and infact even in the ICC Champions trophy 2017, India beat Pakistan comprehensively in the group stages itself. Little did they know that they would be facing some sort of a déjà vu in the finals and take on Pakistan again. The expectations were crossing the charts and was at its peak. India showed tremendous form and potential throughout the tournament and beat every team comprehensively, barring their one defeat against Sri Lanka. It was almost taken for granted that India would secure an easy win against their arch-rivals Pakistan in the finals but, boy did the tables turn! Pakistan literally outplayed India throughout the match and never really let them come back into the game with their amazing bowling attack and way above par batting performance. India lost quite miserably by 180 runs and were unfortunately the runners-up this year.
But, surprisingly the entire Indian team and their skipper Virat Kohli took this defeat with pride and sheer sportsman spirit. Recently at a press conference, Virat Kohli said, “ I want to congratulate Pakistan, they had an amazing tournament, they way they turned things around, speaks volumes of the talent that they have. He further also said, “They proved it again that they can upset even the best teams on their day, disappointing for us but I still have a smile on my face because we played extremely good cricket to reach the final.”
This really shows Virat’s true sportsman spirit and valour.