Ahead of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, Indian captain Virat Kohli has said that one Test match isn’t enough to reflect the capabilities of his team and he is treating the upcoming face-off as ‘just another’ game.
Kohli addressed a press conference on Thursday and stated that his team will be playing ‘in quest of excellence’. He asserted that the game of cricket won’t stop, doesn’t matter what the results of the WTC final are.
“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 quest of excellence and understand who we are as a team,” Kohli said on the eve of the big final against New Zealand, as quoted by PTI.
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{{/usCountry}}He was not forthcoming when a question on team combination was posed based on a previous answer that the team would select a composition ‘with all bases covered’ regardless of the weather forecast of rain on opening day. “A team with enough batting depth and bowling resources,” he said when asked if he would factor in the rain and overcast conditions.
He was also dismissive when asked if this was the biggest cricketing event of his illustrious career.
“No,” pat came the reply. “This is just another Test match. All these things (WTC final) look good from the outside. One game can't become a do-or-die game. It's a great moment but cricket goes on just like life goes on.”
“The occasion needs to be enjoyed and no more important than the first Test that we all played as young players trying to rise through the ranks. We need to have belief in our abilities and keep things simple. It's a contest between bat and ball,” Kohli said.
(With PTI Inputs)