Indian captain Virat Kohli has hinted at changes in the Test side after his team’s eight-wicket loss at the hands of New Zealand in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) on Wednesday (June 23). New Zealand outclassed India with both the bat and the ball on the sixth day of the rain-marred summit clash to clinch the ICC Test Championship mace.
India’s batting once again performed below-par in the English conditions as New Zealand pacers dominated the proceedings at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Day 6 of the final. While batting was difficult in the first innings with overcast conditions at the Rose Bowl, the sun shone brightly on the final day of the Test match.
Despite the conditions becoming easier to bat, Indian batsmen couldn’t capitalise and the batting line-up fell like a pack of cards. Rishabh Pant fought a lone battle with his 41-run knock to guide India to a respectable total of 170 runs and hand New Zealand a target of 139 runs.
Riding on Kane Williamson (52*) and Ross Taylor’s (47*) unbeaten stand of 96 runs, New Zealand won the final comfortably by eight wickets and became the first-ever world Test champions. Speaking after his side’s loss, Kohli said the team management will continue to reassess and will bring in people with the right mindset to perform.
“We will continue to reassess and continue to have conversations around what are the things required to strengthen our side and not follow or fall prey to certain patterns,” Kohli said at the post-match virtual presser.
“We will not wait for a year or so and have to plan ahead. If you see our white-ball team now, we have great depth and guys are ready and confident. Same thing needs to be done with Test cricket. You have to reassess and replan and understand what dynamics work for the team and how we can be fearless. Bring in right people who have right mindset to perform,” the skipper added.
The Indian captain also highlighted the importance of having positive intent as a batsman while facing a formidable pace attack like New Zealand in away conditions. He called for the batsmen to be braver in dealing with the quality bowlers and not let the game slip away.
“We definitely need to work out better plans on understanding how to score runs. We have to stay in sync with the momentum of the game and not let the game drift away too much. I don’t think there are any technical difficulties as such,” said Kohli.
“It’s more down to game awareness and being more brave in putting bowlers under pressure and not allowing them to bowl in similar areas for longer periods of time unless it is absolutely overcast and ball swinging all over the place like it happened on day 1,” he added.
India will next take on England in a five-match Test series starting in August where the batting unit will be put to test in difficult conditions against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
