Kane Williamson reveals why he rested his head on Virat Kohli's shoulder after winning WTC title

Out of many images of New Zealand’s sheer joy of winning an ICC title after 21 years and India’s despair of once again not being able to cross the final hurdle, there was an image that was perhaps beyond the results, beyond cricket and beyond the mundane standards of the world. It was of Kane Williamson hugging his counterpart Virat Kohli moments after New Zealand won the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) title. It was not even a hug. Williamson was resting his head on Kohli’s shoulder as if to state “It’s over, time to relax buddy.” Who does that to an opposition captain you’ve just beaten? Especially the one who is never known to give an inch while on the cricket field. Williamson does and Kohli reciprocates.

A week after the dust settled in, Williamson talked about that moment in Southampton with Kohli.

“That was a great moment. We knew anytime you play against India, wherever you are, it's an incredibly tough challenge. They often set the benchmark in our game in all formats. They show that with the depth that they have and cricket in their country as well,” The New Zealand captain told Cricbuzz.

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But why was he resting his head on Kohli’s shoulder instead of jumping in joy with partner Ross Taylor and screaming his lungs out? While these are not exactly the reactions one associates Williamson with surely not many would have bet for a hug to Kohli like the way he did almost immediately after the historic victory.

“And the friendship with Virat stems back a number of years and a number of sorts of different times. And it was cool. We always know that there's a bigger picture to it all. It was a really nice moment and our friendship and relationship are deeper than a game of cricket. And we both know that,” Williamson said.

Williamson, who scored an unbeaten half-century as New Zealand chased down the 139-run on the reserve day with 8 wickets in the bank, said the match felt like it was on a knife’s edge.

“Both teams were very competitive and played really hard and the game was so close. I know the end result tells you one thing. Throughout the match, it felt like it was on a knife's edge and you had full respect for that. At the end of it, after a long tough match like that, there's an appreciation by both teams. Someone gets the trophy, and a team perhaps doesn't get the fortune to have that,” he added.