"I don't think that is going to happen" - Aakash Chopra on players skipping IPL matches to prepare for a WTC final
Aakash Chopra doesn't see Indian players skipping Indian Premier League (IPL) matches to prepare for a World Test Championship (WTC) final if they qualify for the title decider going forward.
India suffered a crushing 209-run defeat against Australia in the WTC final at The Oval in June. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma mentioned after the loss that they would ideally want 20-25 days to prepare for such a big game.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked whether lack of long-format practice cost India in the WTC final, to which he responded:
"There is no doubt about that. They (Australian players) were all playing county and had befriended those conditions already and we reached there for just one match. You will never get more time than this. Like it, hate it, live with it."
The former Indian opener added:
"If you reach the final, be happy that you reached the final. If you want to win after that, I don't expect a radical change. There are discussions that players should decide whether they should leave the IPL season or the BCCI asking the IPL franchises not to play their players, I don't think that is going to happen."
Chopra pointed out that franchises spend massive sums to acquire players for a season. He added that it won't be feasible to tell them at the last moment that they won't get a particular player because he is part of the WTC final team.
"It should happen 100%" - Aakash Chopra on whether the WTC final should be a three-match series
Aakash Chopra was further asked whether the WTC final should be a three-match series, to which he replied:
"It should happen 100%. I don't understand just the one match. You go to a neutral venue, it is a two-year-long tournament and you otherwise say that the Test format is best and closest to your heart, then play more matches."
The cricketer-turned-commentator questioned why a three-match window cannot be created for the title decider:
You are able to make a window for the IPL, the Ashes is a five-match series and a window is created, and you make a window for the World Cup as well. If you can make a window for everything, why not for the WTC final?
Chopra concluded by stating that the problem is the lack of will. He added that the solitary-game final tells him that the focus is slightly different from the ICC's perspective.