WTC Final | June is not the only month we should play final, comments Rohit Sharma
India skipper Rohit Sharma has remarked that it is not necessary to schedule the World Test Championship final in June after the IPL but can be scheduled in March as well. He also suggested that the WTC final should be played as a three-match series to give a fair opportunity to both the teams.
After reaching their second successive final of the World Test Championship (WTC), India’s barren run in ICC events since 2013 was extended on Sunday. Australia registered a thumping win over India by 209 runs and became the first team to win all the ICC trophies. India were pushed on the backfoot by the end of the first innings as they were trailing by 173 runs. The Indian players got only a week’s time to prepare for the series as the fixture was played within a week of the IPL Final. The team had little time to acclimatise as it was tough to transition from T20 to Test cricket.
Reflecting on the same, India captain Rohit Sharma stated that June is not the only month when the fixture can be played. He also commented on the next final to be hosted by England saying the match can be held anywhere in the world and England is not the only place.
"Why after the IPL final? Why cannot it be March? June is not the only month we should play the final. It can be played any time of the year and anywhere in the world, not just in England, it can be played anywhere in the world.” Rohit said in the post-match press conference.
The upcoming eight-year cycle of international cricket includes four WTC finals, and the venues except for 2025 aren’t decided yet. The scheduling has become a tough task for ICC with the advent of new T20 leagues around the world and a jam-packed international calendar. Despite these factors, many have shared a view that the final should be held as a three-match series. Virat Kohli stated the same after the previous final and Rohit echoed the sentiments on Sunday as well.
“I would love that. But is there a time? That’s the big question. But honestly, in a big event like this, you need to have fair opportunities to both the teams. You know, a three-match series would be nice, but it’s about finding that window where it can be fit in,” he added.
“But I would love to have – in an event like this, you work hard for two years and then you have only one shot at it. So, it’s not really – you cannot get into that momentum that you need in Test cricket, you know.”
Although the Kangaroos outplayed India, the match involved a controversial moment due to an umpiring decision. Shubman Gill edged a delivery from Scott Boland on Day 4 and Cameron Green took a spectacular catch. However, the replays created doubts over the legality of the catch and there was a lot of outrage on social media. Sharing his views on the catch, Rohit stated that the third umpire should have seen more replays.
“The third umpire should have seen a little more replays, a little more of, you know, how the catch has been held. I think it was three or four times he saw, and he was convinced with it. It's not about whether it was given out or not out, you need to have a proper and clear information about anything,” he opined.
"More camera angles should have been shown. There were only one or two camera angles that were shown. We've got more angles in IPL. We've got 10 different angles in IPL. I don't know why in a world event like this, there was no ultra motion that was seen or any kind of zoomed image was seen. That is what I was a little disappointed with."
India will next tour West Indies for a multi-format series next month and the team will surely aim to bounce back from the recently suffered defeat and register a series win on Caribbean soil.