SYDNEY, March 25 (PTI): Not many gave the Indian cricket team a chance in the World Cup after the horror tour of Australia but star batsman Virat Kohli said the players never stopped believing in themselves which helped them surprise the critics.
�To be honest, not many people gave us the chance, even to qualify for the semis and I know that for a fact when the tournament started. So we�ve surprised a lot of people, but we haven�t surprised ourselves at all,� Kohli told cricket.Com.Au in an interview.
�We knew that we had the capability and we had the kind of talent and the passion that�s needed for us to be a successful international side in any format,� he added.
India turned around their fortunes after a winless early Australian summer to be worthy defending champions in the 50-over showpiece event.
Kohli, who stood in as captain in two Test matches in place of the injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said they never considered their performance a failure but only a launchpad for future success.
�We haven�t had the results that we wanted but I in no way see this tour as a failure anywhere. And the way that we played in the Test series, the way that we�ve played this World Cup shows that.
�We can be really proud of the cricket we�ve played. The results I�m sure will follow if we keep playing in the same way and we have the same approach which is going to be consistent from this point onwards, so I think the results will start falling our way or falling into our basket in the future,� said Kohli, who took over the Test captaincy after Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired post the Melbourne match and is captain-in-waiting in ODIs as well.
India are very close to another World Cup triumph as they take on co-hosts Australia in the second semi-final at the SCG tomorrow and Kohli knows the importance of the victory.
�Winning the World Cup and going back would be a really great achievement, especially knowing that it�s happening in Australia,� he said.
