It seems like only yesterday India faced a gut-wrenching setback in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, going out after a tight semi-final loss to New Zealand. Almost six years since then, the anguish still haunts fans and apparently, the players as well. Former Indian captain Virat Kohli, who captained the team that season, has now spoken for the first time about the tearful exit and the deep hurt it caused him.

India had dominated the group stage, sitting atop the table with seven wins from nine games. With confidence high, everything was expected. But in rain-hit semi-final at Old Trafford, Manchester, things did not go according to script. The game spilled into a reserve day after incessant rain brought the game to a standstill after New Zealand's innings. Next day, on tricky overcast conditions, India's batting disintegrated early.

Talking on the RCB Podcast, Kohli shared that how disoriented and numb he was after the loss. "The 2019 loss was massive; that was the first time actually after the semifinals got over, and the next morning, we were going to leave Manchester. You know when you wake up, and you have no kind of understanding of what you want to do… like you're dazed," he said.

ALSO SEE:IPL 2025, MI vs GT: Why is Washington Sundar not playing today in match number 56?

Kohli remembers how rain and early collapses dashed India's 2019 World Cup ambitions

Reminiscing about what happened, Kohli pointed out how the rain was instrumental in disrupting India's rhythm. "Everything was all right. We had to play in the afternoon, and there was rain, and then we had to turn up the next morning, early morning conditions, this, that and the others. I was like, what are the chances."

Trent Boult's initial blows, including the key scalp of Kohli himself, left India gasping. MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja staged a brave counterattack, but the Men in Blue came up short by 18 runs.

Explaining his state of mind after the defeat, Kohli stated, "It was like the feeling you get when you have a horrible hangover I could not make sense of it."

For the fans and players, too, that semi-final is still one of Indian cricket's most painful what-ifs.