Indian skipper Virat Kohli has defended Hardik Pandya's action after his unfortunate dismissal in the final against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Sarfraz's army defeated Team India in the finals and went on to lift the title for the first time in the history of the tournament. The Indian skipper credited Pandya for his innings and said that he completely justified his presence with his performance throughout the tournament. “Everyone who plays for the country is committed to the team. He is passionate and he felt he was in the zone where he thought he could have done something special for the team today,” said Kohli talking about Hardik's expression of disappointment on the field. India had to chase 339 runs to defend their title but they lost crucial wickets early in the game. Hardik Pandya came to bat at five down and his 76 runs from 43 balls almost brought the Indian team back into the game. However, due to a mix-up between him and Jadeja, he fell prey to a horrendous runout. Hardik called for a single and started running but Jadeja left the crease only to revert back, thereby costing Pandya his wicket. After his dismissal, Pandya was seen venting his disappointment by swinging his bat in the air in despair. He was clearly not happy with the way the events had unfolded to send him back to the dressing room despite a knock that appeared to be promising.