India limped to 54 but when the fifth wicket tumbled it was in deep trouble.
Sarfraz was chosen as the captain following his inspirational leadership during the 18-day tournament that was the cornerstone of his team's 180-run victory over India.
Kohli also said he backed his boys to chase in the title clash.
Ali took three wickets in the final and finished as the leading wicket-taker with 13 in five matches.
Despite the heavy loss, Kohli had a smile on his face. "Things weren't happening for them and then they win a tournament".
After Pakistan clinched their maiden ICC Champions Trophy crown, former skipper Shahid Afridi on Monday rated his side as one of the serious contenders for the 50-over World Cup title, to be played in England and Wales in 2019.
Kohli said: "I congratulated them in the post-match presentation and I would do the same here because they deserved to win". We knew the calibre of the players we had.
Except Zimbabwe's tour two years ago, Pakistan had played all of their "home" matches outside of the country since the 2009 terror attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in Lahore. The Green Shirts had entered as the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, with nobody predicting they would go on to lift the trophy.
Sky Sports commentator Mike Atherton says Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy win is great for the nation and the global game.
"It has been an up and down ride". We have practiced the same way as we started the day we came here.
Cameroon Lose To Chile After Disallowed Goal At Confederations Cup
Mexico claimed a 2-2 draw with Portugal in their Confederations Cup opener on Sunday with a last-gasp equaliser by Hector Moreno . With time running out, Southampton right-back Cedric pounced on a loose ball and slammed home Portugal's second goal.
"It sort of feels surreal really, to be honest", said Arthur.
"We've got a group of young players who are fantastic". We are on the right track, everything is going right at the moment.
He continued: "I was feeling very lucky".
"He is working hard at it now and everyone can see the way he is bowling. We have to identify the players we want to take forward", he added.
Sarfraz paid tribute to the influence of a coaching staff led by Mickey Arthur, who took charge shortly before Pakistan's tour of England previous year, where a Test series was shared but the ODI campaign lost 4-1. "I'm so happy for the nation of Pakistan who have been waiting for this for a long time". Credit to Pakistan. They outplayed us.
He celebrated with an extravagant twirl of his bat and kissed the turf as the Pakistan supporters sensed an unlikely win.
Sarfraz spoke about the benefits of Pakistan Super League (PSL). Apart from him, Hasan Ali picked up three wickets for 16 runs and Shadab Khan had two wickets for 60.
Cricket rivalry is particularly acute between Pakistan and India.
"India couldn't even make half of the score, whole team booked in 30.3 overs", the Daily Jang said. It sounded endearing as it was a honest appeal from him. No one cared for those syntax errors due to language limitations.
Comments