New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson shared the camaraderie he has with his Indian counterpart, Virat Kohli, saying both captains have known each other for more than a decade and over teh time they have become close friends. Kohli and Williamson are known to share a mutual respect for each other, and even after India’s defeat in the World Test Championship final, their friendship stood out as both skippers were seen sharing a warm hug after a fierce battle on the field.

Notably, both Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson had met for the first time in the 2008 ICC U-19 World Cup tournament in Malaysia where the latter had suffered a defeat in the semifinal to eventually win the tournament by thrashing South Africa in the final.

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During a recent chat with India Today, Kane Williamson said, “Virat and I have known each other for a long time and we are mates. It’s always a great part of sports as you get the opportunity to meet people all around the world and form different friendships. Different experiences that you have either together or against each other. And often you find a bit of common ground and share a few common interests.”

Virat had congratulated Kane Williamson-led New Zealand for their historic triumph and said they showed great heart to pull off a win in a rain-hit Test match.

The Indian skipper said, “…big congratulations to Kane and the whole team. They showed great consistency and heart to pull out a result in just over three days, sticking to their processes to put us under pressure. They deserved the win.”

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New Zeland registering an 8-wicket win over India in the inaugural WTC final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.