‘Best Test team in international cricket cannot be decided over 5 days’

“One game over five days. It’s not going to reflect anything and those who understand the game know and also what has gone over the period of last four to five years. If we win, cricket will not stop and if we lose also, cricket won’t stop. We are playing in a quest of excellence and understanding who we are as a team,” Kohli said on the eve of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand at Southampton.

Interestingly, life will come full circle for Kohli when he walks out for the toss on Friday morning at the Ageas Bowl. That’s because his team’s metamorphosis from nearly-men to a formidable force started on these shores three years ago. Sure enough, there were some debatable team selections along the way, which meant that success proved to be elusive. But it was on that tour that Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant showed they could play pivotal roles in the team’s transformation.

“We understand the kind of cricket we have played to get to the final, and understand what we are as a team, and who we are as a group of players,” Kohli explained.

‘Tweaking WTC points system motivated us’

According to the Indian captain, the International Cricket Council’s decision to tweak the points system of the World Test Championship mid-way through the cycle due to the pandemic has motivated the team. Teams were ranked in order of percentage of points earned. Resultantly, table-toppers India, got overtaken by Australia.

“It wasn’t supposed to be a topsy-turvy ride, to be honest. When you were sitting at home and rules changed suddenly and you got confused about what happened,” Kohli said, before adding: “In our mind, we had qualified before things got complicated anyway. However, that just gave us more determination and more clarity as to where we want to go and what we want to achieve. So, looking back now probably was a good thing that happened as there was no room for complacency.”

Despite the teething issues, the inaugural edition of World Test Championship final has offered a degree of intrigue and excitement featuring two talented teams led by astute captains.

“This is not one-day cricket or a Twenty20 game that is finished in a few hours,” Kohli conceded. “This is a hard grind over a period of five days and something we take a lot of pride in.”

With the winners taking home a purse of $1.6 million along with the ICC Test Championship Mace, there’s a lot at stake for both India and New Zealand. The WTC final is more than “just another game.”