ICC WTC Final: Virat Kohli bats for best-of-three finals to decide future World Test Championships

Indian captain Virat Kohli has called for a best of three finals to decide the future World Test Champions. Image: Xtra Time

Xtra Time Web Desk: Team India captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday voiced his support towards Head Coach Ravi Shastri’s views of making it a best of three finals to decide the future World Test Champions. The Indian captain admitted that New Zealand were the worthy winners of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship title, but has called for having best of three finals for deciding future champions in test cricket. Team India were comprehensively outplayed by Kane Williamson and his team as they lost to the BlackCaps by 8 wickets in the final played at the Ageas Bowl.

“I am not in absolute agreement of deciding the best Test side in the world over the course of one game,” Kohli said during the post match press conference.

Kohli added, “If it is a Test series, it has to be a test of character over three Tests – which team has the ability to come back in the series, or totally blow away the other team. It can’t just be pressure applied over two days of good cricket and then you suddenly you are not a good Test side anymore. I don’t believe in it.”

Kohli supported Shastri’s views of making it a best-of-three final. The Indian team Head Coach did reiterate the point before the team’s departure to England.

“It has to be a hard grind and something that definitely needs to be worked around in the future,” he said.

“At the end of three matches, where there’s effort, there’s ups and downs, there’s situations changing during the course of the series, a chance to rectify the things you have done in the first game, and then really see who is the better side over the course of a three-match series or something, will be a good measure of how things really are,” said Kohli

“So we are not too bothered by this result because we understand as a Test side what we have done over the last 3-4 years, not just over the last 18 months. So this is not a measure of who we are as a team [with] the ability and the potential we have had for so many years now,” said Kohli.