PM Narendra Modi hosted the T20 World Cup 2024 winning Indian team for breakfast at the PM's residence in Delhi on Thursday morning. The Indian contingent had flown in early morning from Barbados on a special flight after being stuck there due to Hurricane Beryl.

The entire Indian team squad along with coach Rahul Dravid visited the PM's residence and met PM Narendra Modi and then he had discussions with the entire team, listening to their stories and anecdotes from the tournament.

During his part of the conversation, Virat Kohli admitted that his ego got the better of him in the early part of the tournament. Kohli had a horrid time in the group stage and the Super 8s, before coming good in the final with a match-winning knock of 76 runs.

“First of all, thank you so much for inviting us. This day (T20 World Cup final) will always stay with me because, during the entire tournament, I wasn’t able to contribute to the level as I wanted to (for the team),” Kohli told PM Modi as per ANI.

He continued, “There was a point when I told Rahul bhai that I am not doing justice to myself and the team so far. He replied ‘When the situation demands, I am confident you will perform’. So the kind of tournament I had, I wasn’t confident that I would be able to bat the way I wanted to during the final.”

Virat Kohli revealed that Rohit Sharma’s words to him in the final after he hit three boundaries in the first over of the final against South Africa’s Marco Jansen gave him confidence.

“So when I struck three fours in four deliveries I told Rohit ‘What a game this is! One day you feel like not being able to score a single run and then there’s another when everything starts working out. So, when we lost three wickets, I had to surrender myself to the situation. I was only focused on what’s important for the team,” Kohli recalled.

“I felt that I have been pushed into that zone and I can’t explain the reason behind it. Later, I realized, what was destined would happen. So the manner in which we won the match, how it turned around. We can’t explain what was going through our minds. At one point we had lost hope then Hardik took that wicket (of Heinrich Klaasen). Then we got back into the groove with each delivery. I am happy to have contributed to such a big occasion. I will never forget this,” he added.

Kohli revealed he realized that his ego has taken over and he needs to put it aside for the benefit of the team.

“I realized when you feel you can do anything, your ego takes over and the game pulls away from you. I had to keep my ego aside. The situation was such that I had to keep my pride aside for the team. When you respect the game, it respects you. So that’s what I experienced,” he said.

PM Modi asked Virat Kohli how his family reacted.

“There are moments when everybody ends up keeping their faith in yourself and it becomes a driving force some times. But tell me, how was the reaction of your family?” the PM asked.

Kohli said due to the difference in time zone, he wasn’t able to interact much with his family.

“The good thing is, that there was a sizeable time difference so I didn’t talk to my family much. My mother ends up getting worried,” Kohli said.

(ANI inputs)