Team India on Wednesday suffered an 8-wicket loss against New Zealand in the final of inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC). The subcontinental giants were completely outplayed by the Kiwis as they claimed the title at Southampton.
There is a lot pressure on Virat Kohli to win an ICC trophy as a captain. Even though Team India was so close to winning their first ICC tournament under Kohli, it wasn’t quite meant to be as Kane Williamson and Co. completely dominated the Test match.
India will be playing a five-match Test series against England starting August 4 and former India batsman Sanjay Bangar, who has also worked as the batting coach of Team India, talked about how Kohli will approach his future.
“He has already scored close to 7,500 test runs, and this is a format, where he just simply gives it his all. It's not that he doesn't value T20 or ODI cricket; he plays with equal intensity, but the job satisfaction that he derives – because this is the toughest format,” Bangar told Star Sports.
“And in modern times, because there are no dead rubbers, so every test match is valued, and every team is playing for a result. This means that whatever is on offer – from a batting perspective – is always challenging for the batsman,” he added.
Bangar addressed this issue of Kohli not scoring a century in over a year and a half and said that with the way Kohli batted in the first innings of the WTC final, it clearly indicated the form he is in.
“So, to excel in each & every test match, and obviously, to get over the drought of the three-figure – which may have been playing on his mind – I think this is something that he would look ahead to. The way he has batted in the first innings was a clear indication of the kind of touch and the kind of rhythm that he was in. So, I think it augurs well for the Indian team,” the 48-year-old signed off.
(With Star Sports Inputs)
