WTC final: "In our minds, we had qualified before things got complicated" - Virat Kohli on ICC changing the rules midway
Virat Kohli has once again registered his opposition to the ICC's 'sudden' change of rules for the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) points table. The Indian skipper said his team had considered itself qualified before the system became 'complicated' and the change only made them more determined to perform.
To mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the cricketing calendars, the ICC shifted to a percentage-based points system in October last year. The revised rules meant India lost their top spot and stumbled to the third rank, with the tour of Australia and a 4-Test series against England yet to start.
Speaking ahead of the WTC final, Virat Kohli also weighed in on how his team played its role dutifully by participating in all the series presented to it.
"It wasn't supposed to be a topsy-turvy ride, to be honest. When you are sitting at home and the rules change suddenly you get confused as to what happened. Without anyone's control, we did not miss or choose to miss any series through the course of the World Test Championship apart from the scheduling that wasn't done at all. We pretty much played everything that was presented to us," said the India skipper.
And yeah, in our minds, we had qualified way before things got complicated anyway. That just gave us more determination and more clarity as to where we want to go and what we want to achieve," Virat Kohli said in a virtual press conference.
Virat Kohli also looked at the positive side of the affairs, asserting that the change of rules prevented the team from getting complacent and made them even more hungry to win. He added:
"So, looking back now, it was probably a good thing that happened. There was no room for complacency. If we had qualified earlier maybe we would have relaxed a little bit but the situation allowed us to be more hungry and more determined and know exactly what was going at that moment and use that as a fueling factor and a motivation to keep moving forward regardless of whatever was going on the outside."
"WTC a very positive step in the right direction" - Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli also suggested a couple of changes to the WTC rulebook, including some regulation against the teams who didn't participate in the slated series. He, however, also added that the overall concept of the WTC is a 'very positive step' and imbues Test cricket with context and a more competitive spirit.
"Firstly, not for the rules to change overnight. That'll be helpful if there's more clarity around what's happening and which direction we are heading into and you know also for the teams who haven't played series for some reasons to have some kind of ruling there as to what happens after," said Virat Kohli.
For me, it's been a very positive step in the right direction because you understand that every series you are playing and competing for something and there's no room for complacency, or for playing out an easy draw. If you can afford to go for a few points, you'll go for them. I think it's a step in the right direction for Test cricket," concluded the India captain.
India and New Zealand will begin their quest for the silverware tomorrow (June 18) at Southampton from 3:30 pm IST.