Ravi Shastri Wants Virat Kohli To Captain Team India In WTC Final 2023: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the squad for the upcoming World Test Championship Final 2023, which is scheduled to be played at The Oval in London from June 7-11 on Tuesday (April 25). The Indian cricket team became the first team to make two appearances in the final in a row ever since the inception of this tournament last year.
The Indian cricket team lost to New Zealand by eight wickets in the final of the inaugural edition of WTC when Virat Kohli was the captain of the Test team and the onus is now on Rohit Sharma to turn the clock this time against the Australians in the summit clash.
Ravi Shastri Gave An Honest Verdict On The WTC Final 2023
Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri, who happens to be the coach when India lost to the Kiwis last time now, has provided an honest verdict on the WTC Final 2023 squad selection. Shastri took to his social media and praised the efforts of the selectors in choosing the right squad for the match. He said:
“Best Indian team selected. Well done selectors and team management #WTCFinal2023 #TeamIndia.”
Best Indian team selected. Well done selectors and team management 🇮🇳 #WTCFinal2023 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/olIK46GO96
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) April 25, 2023
Shastri Wants Virat Kohli To Lead India
In an interview, Shastri also said that India should keep Virat Kohli as a captaincy option for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final in case of “unforeseen circumstances”.
It’s a no secret that Kohli still remains India’s most successful captain in the longest format of the game after he initially went past MS Dhoni‘s tally back in 2019 during the West Indies tour. Kohli was the captain of the Indian side when they finished as the runner-up of the WTC 2019-21 after losing to Kane Williamson’s New Zealand in the final at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
As quoted by the ESPNcricinfo, Shastri said: “If it’s for a major game like that, then yes. I mean, you want Rohit to be fit as he is the captain of the side. In case of unforeseen circumstances, definitely I will look in that direction,”
Shastri also said that team India could have named Virat as their captain for the Birmingham Test last year against England instead of Jasprit Bumrah. Shastri said:
“Once Rohit was injured, I thought he would be asked. If I was still there, I would have asked. I’m not sure Rahul (Dravid) would have done the same thing, I haven’t spoken to him. I would have recommended to the board as it’s only fair if he leads because he is part of the team that is leading 2-1 in the series,”
Shastri also stated that Kohli is in a much better mental space than last year. He said:
“That’s the feeling I got as opposed to last year when we were discussing ‘does he need a break?’ He seemed to have the burden of the whole world on his shoulders. Now, he is refreshing. You feel that enthusiasm, passion for the game,”
He added: “The energy and enjoyment has come back, which for me was the best thing to see. You might get runs or you may not, but when you see someone with the passion and drive, it’s good, especially a player of his quality,”
Squads For WTC 2023 Final:
India’s Test squad WTC final:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, K L Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.
Australia’s Test Squad WTC final:
Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vice-captain), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
