Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar slammed current captain Rohit Sharma for suggesting a best of three finals for the ICC World Test Championship and questioned whether players would raise a similar demand in the IPL as well.
India succumbed to a massive 209-run loss to Australia in the WTC 2023 final which was their second consecutive loss in the ultimate Test after losing to New Zealand in 2021.
After the disappointing result, India skipper Rohit Sharma advocated a best-of-three finals format going forward. He echoed the words of former India coach Ravi Shastri and former captain Virat Kohli, who had said the same after the 2021 WTC final loss.
"I would love that. But is there a time? That's the big question. But honestly, in a big event like this, you need to have fair opportunities for both the teams. You know, a three-match series would be nice, but it's about finding that window where it can fit in.
But I would love to have - in an event like this, you work hard for two years and then you have only one shot at it. So, it's not really - you cannot get into that momentum that you need in Test cricket, you know,” Rohit said in the post-match presser.
However, this suggestion wasn't received positively by Sunil Gavaskar, who to him to prepare for the final as he does for the IPL.
“No. This has been decided for a long time, you know even before you enter that first match of the cycle that the final is going to be just one-off. So, you have to be prepared mentally. Just like you prepare for the IPL, you don’t say best of three. Everybody can have a bad day or a couple of days, but before the first ball of the cycle, you know what it is. So, you can’t be asking for a best of three. Tomorrow, you may say best of five,” he told India Today.
India has not won any ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy win in 2013 and they will have a chance to do once more this year when the ODI World Cup 2023 will be played at home.
