We Had Already Qualified For The WTC Final In Our Minds: Virat Kohli

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has said that team India were confident enough of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship final even before the percentage of points (POP) system was introduced. India and New Zealand will be taking on each other in the first ICC World Test Championship final which will take place from June 18-June 22at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton.

The ICC World Test Championship had a topsy-turvy ride in its maiden edition. The tournament began in 2019 and during the commencement, the rules stated that the two teams with the most points in the ICC World Test Championship points table will qualify for the final. However, due to COVID-19 and the halt of global cricketing action, the ICC had to amend rules.

Virat Kohli Opens Up On The Changes In The Points Distribution System By ICC

The ICC decided to elect the finalists on the basis of the percentage of points (POP) system. This system meant that the top two teams with the highest win percentage in the Test championship league round will qualify for the final. The percentage was calculated on the basis of the number of matches won by a team which was divided by the total number of matches played by the team and then multiplied by 100.

This move was heavily criticized by giant cricketing nations. However, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has now stated that the Indian team was mentally very confident of qualifying for the WTC final even before the percentage of points system came in.

“It wasn’t supposed to be a topsy turvy ride, to be honest. When you were sitting at home and rules changed suddenly and you get confused about what happened,” Virat Kohli said.

“Without anyone’s control, we did not miss or choose to miss any series through the course of this WTC. We pretty much played everything that was there and presented to us,” said Kohli while replying to a query from ANI during a virtual press conference.

We Were Even More Determined As A Team After That: Virat Kohli

“In our mind, we had qualified way before things got complicated anyway. However, that just gave us more determination and more clarity as to where we want to go and what we want to achieve. So looking back now probably was a good thing that happened as there was no room for complacency,” said Virat Kohli.

“If we would have qualified earlier maybe we would have relaxed a little bit. The situation allowed us to be more hungry and more determined and know exactly what was going to be and we used that as a fueling factor and motivation to keep moving forward,” he added.

The Indian team management announced its playing XI for the WTC final on Thursday itself. The Indian team will go ahead with 3 pacers and 2 spinners in the game. Mohammed Siraj hasn’t been included in the final playing XI.