New Delhi: Before leaving for UK to play in the first-ever WTC Final, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri addressed a press conference. Indian team will also play a Test series against England after the WTC final with New Zealand in mid-June. The duo answered various questions, but fans are more interested in an audio clip leaked on the social media recently.
Before the conference went live, they were heard discussing some strategies. In the audio clip it can be heard as, “Lala hai na, Siraj, sabko round the wicket.”
— Andy (@WeBleedBlue007) June 2, 2021
India are set to face New Zealand in the first-ever World Test Championship (WTC) final on June 18. While sharing his views on the WTC format, Shastri said that a best-of-three final series should be the ideal way to go forward in the format of the game.
He said, “Ideally, in the long run if they want to pursue with the Test championship, a best-of-three final would be ideal — a three-match final as culmination of two and a half years of cricket around the globe. Best of three would have been ideal.”
Due to pandemic most of the players are staying in a bio-bubble across the world, mental health has become an vital aspect of the sport. Kohli added that along with managing the workload of players, we should also take care of their mental health as it is equally important.
?️ Happy to have the opportunity to play the World Test Championship Final: #TeamIndia Captain @imVkohli ☺️ pic.twitter.com/jjFEwEisrD
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 2, 2021
He said, “With the current structure and the kind of structure we are competing inside, it is very difficult to stay motivated and find that mental space, being confined in one area and just doing the stuff day in and day out and dealing with pressure situations. This will definitely become a norm of the future, apart from the workload, the mental aspect will also come into the picture big time.”
Kohli was one of the most struggling player during India’s tour of 0England in 2014 as he struggled to make runs against James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Shastri described the difference between the Kohli of 2014 and 2021 by saying, “The difference between the Virat Kohli of 2014 (England vs India tour) and today is that he’s slimmer, fitter, the most successful Indian Test captain, and only five and a half thousand runs richer.”
