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Cricket Players'He knows what he needs to do': Ramiz Raja explains how Virat Kohli 'can succeed in WTC final'
Kohli's Indian team will face off against Kane Williamson's New Zealand in the WTC final in Southampton. The match, which will kick off on June 18th, is expected to be a test for the Indian team, who struggled against the Kiwis last year, losing both their away Tests against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli has not scored a century in over 1 year and 6 months. Kohli's last Test ton was against Bangladesh in November 2019 Day/Night Test match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Since then, the India captain has played 7 Tests but has not been able to notch up another hundred. But ahead of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja explains believes Kohli knows what he needs to do to succeed in the all-important game.
Kohli's Indian team will face off against Kane Williamson's New Zealand in the WTC final in Southampton. The match, which will kick off on June 18th, is expected to be a test for the Indian team, who struggled against the Kiwis last year, losing both their away Tests against New Zealand.
Also read: Kiwi's Devon Conway becomes sixth batsman to hammer double ton on Test debut
The fact that England pitches also favour Kiwi bowlers is expected to pose a tough challenge for Indian batsmen. Also, New Zealand are playing two-match Test series against England before the WTC final, while India will be playing the match after a long break, with the IPL 2021 getting suspended midway.
So, with all the odds against them, India captain Kohli has to play a major contribution for India to win in the match. And Raja explains how a slight shift in foot movement can help India's Virat Kohli find his groove back.
"What I have seen in his batting off late, he has been playing cross the line towards the leg side, breaking his wrist. If he maintains his position and plays straight and then plays his flicks, then it won’t be a problem anymore. However, he knows what he needs to do. So, there is nothing to worry about it," Raja said on India News Sports.
"Sometimes you think much and put yourself under pressure of not getting runs or centuries. As long as he plays the first 20-25 over straight and doesn’t break his wrist very much, he can succeed in this [WTC Final] Test match," he added.
Meanwhile, Raja also suggested that there should be a separate window for World Test Championship, and added the final has become interesting because of India's presence.
"I think the World Test Championship should have been conducted in a completely different window. A six-month window during which teams could have played against each other. Other formats should not have been conducted in this window, because if you are keen to uplift the Test cricket, this type of window has to be created," he said.
"The span of two years is quite long and people might forget who played against whom. The tournament has become interesting just because India is in the final. Had it been some other team playing New Zealand, there wouldn’t have been that much interest," he signed off.
