The second edition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final will be held in the Oval in London, starting June 7 between India and Australia. The five-day event will run from June 7-11 and June 12 will be the reserve day for the event.
With India so close to winning their first ICC title since 2013, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri would love to see Virat Kohli captain the Indian side in the ICC WTC Final if Rohit Sharma is unavailable due to some unforeseen situations.
Shastri, who took team India to the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against New Zealand, wants Virat Kohli, the former Indian captain, to lead the attack in the absence of current Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who has been prone to many injuries in the past.
Interestingly, Shastri revealed that he was surprised to see Jasprit Bumrah captaining team India during the one-off Birmingham test against England in 2022 when Rohit Sharma was unavailable due to covid-19.
The cricketer-turned-coach-turned-commentator reckons it was the obvious choice to ask Virat Kohli to spearhead the side with Rohit Sharma not available to dispose of his duties.
Once Rohit was injured, I thought Virat would be captain. If I was still there – I’m sure Rahul [Dravid] might have done the same thing, I have not spoken to him – I would’ve recommended to the board that it’s only fair he leads because he was captain of the team that was leading 2-1 in the series and probably could have got the best [out of the team].”
Shastri told ESPNcricinfo on the Ravi & Raunak show.
Notably, the Birmingham test in 2022 was part of the five-match test series between India and England, which was played in 2021. However, due to multiple covid reports in the Indian camp, the visitors were unable to field a proper playing 11 in the fifth test match. Eventually, the fifth test match was rescheduled to be held in 2022 in Birmingham.
When asked whether Virat Kohli should once again assume the leadership duties in the ICC WTC Final 2023 if the regular captain Rohit Sharma is down to some unforeseen circumstances, Shastri responded, “Definitely I’ll look in that direction.”
He said he wants Rohit to be fit in the first place, however, if such a situation arises he would look to the most experienced person in the lineup. If it’s for a major game like that, I want Rohit to be fit, he is the captain. But god forbid something happens under unforeseen circumstances I’ll look in that direction, said Ravi Shastri.
The first batch of the Indian test team is expected to fly to London for the ICC WTC Final after the completion of the IPL 2023 league stage. The test-bound players whose teams will get eliminated from the playoff race will head to England early on with the management. While the remaining players will join the squad after completing their IPL duties.
