"It's just a distraction"- Virat Kohli on the ICC World Test Championship
Virat Kohli has said that the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) is not a key motivator for India as Test matches have always been a priority for them.
The Indian skipper added that the WTC is more of a distraction for the Men in Blue as it can derail their plans if they start thinking too much about the competition.
India are firmly in the driver's seat to play in the ICC World Test Championship final, set to take place later this year at Lord's.
The hosts will only need to avoid defeat in the final game of the series against England to book their place in the summit clash against New Zealand. When asked how Team India views the World Test Championship, Virat Kohli said:
"WTC might work for teams who are not that motivated to play Test cricket. Teams like us who are motivated to play Test cricket and want to win Test matches and keep the Indian cricket team at the top of the world in Test cricket. We have no issues whatsoever if its a WTC or not. For teams like us, it's just a distraction when you start thinking of the WTC."
Virat Kohli further explained that he and his team are not motivated by the incentive of playing in big games. This is because they give equal importance to every game they get to play for the country.
"Eventually its a game of cricket, even a World Cup final, semi-final anything you take, is a game of cricket at the end of the day, and if you are not motivated to play a normal game of cricket and you are extra motivated to play a game of cricket which has some incentive to it, for me, as an individual, that's unacceptable, and we as a team have never played in that fashion. For us, any game is important. If you start thinking too much about it, then that is a distraction from our plans and process." the 32-year-old concluded at a virtual press conference.
Former Team India coach Anshuman Gaekwad echoed similar sentiments to Virat Kohli
Not too long ago, former Indian cricketer and coach Anshuman Gaekwad had iterated similar sentiments to Virat Kohli on the WTC.
"If i was the coach of the Indian team today, i don't think i would have thought of it (WTC). You need to concentrate on what you are doing today. Just concentrate on the match, day by day, session by session. That's the only way you can go on. If you set a target, then you are bringing a lot of pressure on yourselves," Gaekwad said in an exclusive chat on SK Live.
England are out of contention for a place in the WTC final. However, they could spoil Virat Kohli and his team's party if they manage to win the final game and level the Test series at 2-2.
In that scenario, Australia will go through to the final of the inaugural edition of the mega event.