"A great moment" - Kane Williamson opens up on his special viral picture with Virat Kohli

Kane Williamson has opened up on the widely-shared photo of him hugging Virat Kohli soon after winning the World Test Championship final. The New Zealand captain called it a 'great moment' that celebrated their friendship, rising above the result of the pre-eminent Test match.

Kane Williamson, who played arguably the most important hand in his side's 8-wicket win over India, also lauded his 'fantastic' opponents for how they held themselves in defeat. He said that the Indian players' outlook is as special as their talent.

"Yeah, I mean, that's perhaps another thing - going into a final, there's emotion, both teams are pushing and want to get across the line and you have a fantastic side like India but also the way they are playing their cricket. I'm sure that's something the public can relate to, in India and around the world. Coming off second in this one and, you know, the way they hold themselves as the ambassadors of the game is I think, an equally special thing to the talents that they bring," Kane Williamson told India Today.

Picture of d day 4 me, being humble even after winning d #worldtestchampionshipfinal as a Captain is a hallmark of a gentleman of a cricketer #Williamson 👏 Congratulations @BLACKCAPS on winning and tough luck team India, there is a need for few changes going ahead #WTCFinal2021 pic.twitter.com/dsGCDImg6X

— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) June 23, 2021

Speaking about his much-publicised bond with the Indian skipper, which began in the duo's Under-19 days, Kane Williamson remarked that sports in general present this great opportunity to weave friendships with both mates and opponents around the world. He added:

"It was a great moment, you know, toe to toe, and obviously, Virat and I have known each other for a long time and we're mates. And that's always a great part of sport as well that over the years you get the opportunity to meet people all around the world, form these different friendships through these different experiences you have had either together or against each other and often find a bit of common ground and share a few common interests and that's quite special."

Kane Williamson was not only at the crease when Ross Taylor scored the winning runs but he also ensured a smooth path for his team in the match through his defiant 177-ball 49 in the first innings.

"I was trying to tell the guys to just keep calm but they weren't listening to me" - Kane Williamson

Kane Willamson and team's celebrations with the Test mace.

Kane Williamson also spoke about his team's jubilant celebrations after winning the Test mace. The deferential captain said he was trying to keep the celebrations controlled but his teammates refused to listen to him at that moment. He admitted that the reaction was mostly a buildup of New Zealand's many close-shave defeats in the recent past.

"I was trying to tell the guys to just keep calm but they weren't listening to me much. There was a lot of elation, I suppose, and there was a whole mix of feelings and emotions. You mentioned a number of our past experiences and there were a number of guys involved in all of those and there were some that weren't and so I think everyone felt a little bit different," he said.

"For me, being involved with the team as a leader the focus is often on but the team as a whole and perhaps the bigger picture on how it's tracking and trying to operate in that space as well as you can. The rewards that come or don't, for me, are by-products of that," Kane Williamson signed off.