Rohit Sharma says WTC final is 'far ahead' as two Tests against Eng is first priority

Team India's opening batsman Rohit Sharma has said that the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) is too far ahead, and the side is just focusing on following the right process. India and England will be locking horns in the all-important third Test match at Ahmedabad's Motera Stadium on Wednesday. 

'It is too far ahead': Rohit Sharma

"To be honest, when we are playing the game, the focus is not on the outside. We want to qualify for the WTC finals, but we still to do a lot of things right to be there. We will be very happy to qualify for the WTC finals, but there are little steps that we need to take before we reach the finals. It is too far ahead still, we have got two Tests to play before that, we will see what happens after that," said Rohit during a virtual press conference on Sunday.

"You just have to focus on the process, you do not need to think too far ahead. If you try to stay in present, I do not think you will feel any pressure. It is a five-day game, so the focus and pressure changes every day. It is important to be in the moment and think about what you need to do on the given day to get the best out of your skillset. When you do those little things right, it adds up and you achieve what you always wanted to achieve as a team," he added.

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India's WTC qualification scenario

If India win the ongoing series by at least a margin of 2-1, then the side would qualify for the finals of the ICC World Test Championship. If the Virat Kohli-led side do succeed in getting the job done, then they would earn the right to face New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final that will be contested from June 18-22 at the 'Mecca of Cricket' Lord's.

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Third Test to be a D/N affair

The third Test match will be played under lights with the pink-ball. This will be the second time that India will be hosting the pink-ball Test match and third overall. Their first Day-Night Test was against Bangladesh at the iconic Eden Gardens in November 2019 where they had registered a comprehensive win.

However, the Men In Blue's second Test match under lights which was also their first one overseas turned out to be a forgettable one as they tasted bitter defeat at the hands of Australia in December 2020 where Virat Kohli & Co. ended up registering their lowest-ever Test score of 36. Coming back to the India-England series, currently, the four-match Test series is leveled at 1-1. After suffering a humiliating 227-run loss in the series opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai last week, a determined Indian team staged a remarkable comeback in the second Test match at the same venue to hand a mammoth 317-run defeat to the visitors.

(With ANI Inputs)

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