After losing in the first match of the World Test Championship in 2021, captain Rohit Sharma believes every player had tremendous grit and stepped up when necessary to lead India to the championship final twice in a row.
Beginning on June 7, the 2021-2023 cycle WTC final will feature India vs. Australia at The Oval.
In a video that the BCCI put on its website, Rohit remarked, “After the World Test Championship final (2021) in Southampton, we quickly had to regroup and get ready for the next cycle.”
“I think we played some very, really challenging cricket in that cycle. We faced several challenges, and I believed that everyone would need a lot of character to overcome them in order for us to succeed.
After the heartbreak of losing the first WTC final against New Zealand in 2021, Rohit was gushing with appreciation for the resilient nature of his teammates.
“Look, we play a lot of Test matches over the course of a two-year cycle. Many players participated in that cycle, he said.
“Different individuals have stepped up, putting forth the performances that we were looking for from the individual.”
India will be missing the services of three important players in the forthcoming WTC final: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Pant is recuperating from a terrible vehicle accident that occurred earlier in the year while Bumrah and Iyer remain hospitalized with injuries.
The only other Indian hitters to average above 40 in the first WTC were Pant and Iyer, who combined for more than 500 runs, while Bumrah took 45 wickets from 10 Test matches during that time.
Cheteshwar Pujara, a veteran Indian batter, said the group should acknowledge the trio’s services.
“The squad has benefited from the contributions of several players. The players who have contributed to this cycle should all be acknowledged, even if some of them are presently not a part of this team, according to Pujara.
“It was a fantastic team effort… The team management, captain, and players have all been anticipating this point when we qualify for the WTC finals and get to play at The Oval. Playing versus England in the UK brings back some fond memories for us. Overall, the Indian Test squad has had a pretty successful journey over the last few of years, in my opinion.
To qualify for two consecutive WTC finals is “no mean feat,” according to veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
“The turnaround unquestionably began in 2014.” We had all played for a few Tests and MS Dhoni had recently retired. And we needed to go on our own adventure, Ashwin remarked.
“Never easy without the elders, but I can confidently state that all of our work over the last two cycles of WTC have really paid off.
“We are qualifying for the WTC finals for the second time in a row. It is an impressive achievement. Ideally, we would have won the series in India by a score of 3-1, 3-0, or whatever, but Australia played some solid cricket. We couldn’t accomplish that. However, we have been given this final as compensation for the steady cricket we have played.
