Ravi Shastri makes ultimate claim on 'WTC Final vs World Cup' question; Virat Kohli agrees

Team India's skipper Virat Kohli and Head Coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday in a pre-departure press conference compared the upcoming ICC World Test Championship Final with the ICC World Cup. Head Coach Ravi Shastri and Team India will be flying to the United Kingdom to play the first-ever ICC World Test Championship Final against New Zealand and 5 matches Test series against England. During the presser, Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli were asked if the World Test Championship (WTC) Final is like playing the World Cup final, the Indian coach said that WTC Final is the biggest as it is the toughest format of cricket. 

Ravi Shastri says ICC WTC Final is the biggest

India and New Zealand will lock horns in the finals of WTC at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, beginning June 18. Before that, New Zealand will also play a two-match Test series against England, which has begun today at Lord's. On being asked whether playing WTC Final is like playing World Cup Final, Ravi Shastri said, "See it is the first time that you have a World Test Championship final. When you look at that and the magnitude of the game that is going to be played, I think this is the biggest, if not the biggest-ever. It is the toughest format of the game, it is a format that tests you. It has not happened over the three months, it has happened over two years where teams have played each other across the world and earned their right to play in the finals. It is one hell of an event."

Answering the same question, Virat Kohli said: "I agree. I think this holds a lot of value, especially this being the first of its kind. It is the toughest format as Ravi Bhai mentioned. We take a lot of pride in playing Test cricket and the way we have progressed as a side is an example of what Test cricket means to us. So for all of us as a unit, this is like an accumulation of all the hard work of the last five-six years where we started to come up the ranks as a side and we are just happy to take the opportunity to play the finals."

Virat Kohli & Co. to arrive in the UK on June 3

"The Indian Men's team will arrive in the UK on June 3, 2021, via a charter flight with negative PCR Test," ICC said in an official release. Prior to travelling, the party will have spent 14 days in a bio-secure environment in India during which regular testing will have taken place. Upon landing, they will proceed directly to the on-site hotel at the Hampshire Bowl where they will be tested again before commencing a period of managed isolation. Regular tests will be conducted during the period of isolation. Players' activity will be allowed in a gradually increasing manner after each round of negative testing, moving from exercise in isolation to small group and then larger squad activity, whilst always remaining within the bio-secure venue.

(Image Credits: BCCI/ICC)