"Ready to have the bitter taste in my mouth" - Aakash Chopra picks England series win over WTC final
Aakash Chopra has cast his vote for a Test series win in England over the World Test Championship (WTC) final if given a choice between the two.
Team India will face New Zealand in the WTC final in Southampton, starting on June 18. It will be followed by a five-match Test series against England in the latter's backyard.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was asked by a fan if he would prefer India winning the WTC final or the Test series against England.
While acknowledging that it was a tough call, the cricketer-turned-commentator responded that he is ready to swallow the bitter pill in the WTC final, even though it is a global event.
"It is a very interesting question. On the face of it, you want to win the WTC final. It is a big ICC event and you want to lift the trophy. Since it is happening for the first time, you will want to win this match and become the best team in the world. But I am ready to have the bitter taste in my mouth in the WTC final, no issues," said Chopra.
The 43-year-old reasoned that India have already been the best Test team in the world for a considerable period now.
"Our team is good, if you lose one match, the team does not become bad. It is the No.1 team, they were No.1 in the points table and No.1 for the last five years as well," added Aakash Chopra.
While Team India might be at the top of the ICC Test rankings, they will be eager to win a maiden ICC Trophy under Virat Kohli's leadership.
"The last time we won in England was in 2007" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra opined that he would prefer India to win the Test series against England, as they have been at the receiving end in their last three tours of the country.
"So if given a choice between this [WTC Final] and the England series, I will win the England series. It is a five-match series. It has been a long time, the last time we won was in 2007 under Dravid's captaincy but have not been able to conquer that frontier since then," said Chopra.
The former India opener signed off by stating that the five-match series against England will be a battle of attrition.
"So I will want that five-match series, it will be a constant fight, there will be a strong team against you. If you win both it is better, but if I can get only one out of the WTC final or the England series, I will go with the England series," concluded Aakash Chopra.
While Team India will certainly want to buck the trend in England, they might just prefer becoming the inaugural winners of the ICC World Test championship if given a choice between the two.
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