Following India's eight-wicket defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, skipper Virat Kohli echoed the views of head coach Ravi Shastri and called for a best-of-three final.
Kohli feels the best Test team in the world should not be decided by a one-off game like it was in the inaugural edition. The Indian unit had lost their opening Tests against Australia and England before staging a stellar comeback.
Kohli's men, however, faltered in the one-off Test against New Zealand in Southampton. The skipper himself had a colourless outing with the bat, falling prey to his RCB teammate Kyle Jamieson in both innings of the marquee final.
"Look, firstly I am not in absolute agreement of deciding the best Test side over the course of one game, to be very honest. If it is a Test series, it has to be a test of character over three Tests," said Kohli in the post-match press conference.
"Which team has the ability to come back into the series (should be a factor) ... It can't just be [about] pressure applied over two days of good cricket and you suddenly are not a good Test side anymore. I don't believe in that," he further said.
Ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan, known for his blunt opinions on social media, didn't hold back from taking a dig at Kohli. Vaughan questioned whether the IPL would reduce its length to accommodate a best-of-three WTC Final. The Ashes-winning captain also quipped that winning one-off finals helps a player or a team achieve greatness.
"Where in the schedule would it fit in ?? Are the IPL going to reduce the year of the final tournament by 2 weeks so it could fit in? Doubt it ..: Finals are one-off games where teams/individuals know they have to deliver … that’s what makes them so great," tweeted Vaughan.
Unlike Kohli, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson had a different view on the WTC final being a one-off Test. He said that the one-off final provides a "unique dynamic" to make the title clash exciting.
"I suppose the exciting part of a final is that anything can happen. We know how fickle cricket is and we have seen in other competitions, other World Cups and all other bits and pieces. The one-off factor brings a unique dynamic which does make it exciting," said Williamson.
