Virat Kohli hints at making changes to Test squad after losing to NZ in WTC Final
India suffered heartbreak after losing to New Zealand by eight wickets in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final on June 23. After such losses in the ICC events, teams usually make a major overhaul or reassessment of the situation before the next tour begins. For India, there is only a 42-day break to sort out the issues before their five-match Test series against England starts on August 4.
Coming back to WTC Final, Indian skipper Virat Kohli boldly announced his team’s playing XI one day prior to the marquee clash. He picked two spinners on overcast and swinging conditions in Southampton whereas, his counterpart Kane Williamson opted to go for an all-out pace attack.
This move by Kohli triggered a debate on social media with experts and fans questioning the need for one more pacer, but the 32-year-old defended it by saying that the team is backing their strengths.
“We will continue to reassess, continue to have conversations around what are the things required to strengthen our side and not follow or fall prey to certain patterns,” Kohli said at the post-match virtual press conference.
Bring in the right people who have the right mindset to perform: Virat Kohli
The next WTC Final will be played in 2023 and before that, the Indian team will also have a 50-over World Cup coming up which is scheduled to take place in India. Kohli spoke about the need to build the team in the near future.
“When you have been a top for a few years in a row, you don’t want to suddenly drop your standards and we need to keep up with the demands of the game and understand exactly where we need to rectify the areas that need to be rectified as a team and move in the right direction. We will certainly take those decisions and have those conversations in the near future.”
The Indian skipper stressed the fact that the current white-ball set-up is pretty strong with great depth and he wants the same to be implemented in Team India’s red-ball plans as well in near future by bringing in the people with the right mindset.
“It’s not something that we will not wait for a year or so and have to plan ahead. If you see our white-ball team now, we have great depth and guys are ready and confident. The same thing needs to be done with Test cricket. You have to reassess and replan and understand what dynamics work for the team and how we can be fearless. Bring in the right people who have the right mindset to perform,” the skipper added.
