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Updated July 14th, 2021 at 18:03 IST

Virat Kohli hopes to give Team India's fans 'lot to cheer' as ICC reveals new WTC schedule

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the schedule and points format for the second edition of the World Test Championship (WTC)

Reported by: Ujjwal Samrat
Virat Kohli/Team India fans
Image Credits: AP | Image:self
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Team India's skipper Virat Kohli, who has been facing severe criticism following the side's heartbreaking loss in the WTC Final against New Zealand, broke his silence via a message for the fans of the Men in Blue. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the schedule and points format for the second edition of the World Test Championship (WTC). The second edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) will kickstart on August 4 with India vs England five-match Test series. 

Virat Kohli's message for Team India's fans ahead of the England series

Announcing the schedule for the second edition of the WTC, ICC quoted Team India's skipper Virat Kohli promising Indian cricket fans to give them chance to cheer about in the England series.

"It was great to have played the final of the ICC World Test Championship against New Zealand in what was a memorable contest. Not just the final, we saw the determination of players throughout the first edition of the championship. The following of cricket lovers too was great to see, and I am sure they will all be waiting eagerly for the second edition. We will regroup with new energy for the next cycle starting with our series against England, hoping to give our fans a lot to cheer about," said Virat Kohli. 

Joe Root's message for India

An ICC press release quoted English Test skipper Joe Root expressing his excitement to kick-start the second edition of the WTC campaign against India. 

“We start our campaign in the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship against the finalists of last time, which is an interesting challenge straight away. India are a fine all-round side and it would be good to test them in our home conditions. We narrowly missed out on qualifying for the final last time and are looking to do better this time. Test cricket is a format we all want to excel in and with points at stake for each match, everyone has to be at their best all the time,” said Joe Root. 

Nine teams gear up for second WTC

While there will be a change in the WTC points format to make it more exciting, no changes have been made to the existing format of the competition. Similar to the first edition of the WTC, the second edition will also feature nine teams with all of them playing six series each: three home and three away.

The second edition of the WTC championship will kick off with the Test series between England and India in August with the cut-off date for the final games before the final set on March 31, 2023. Day-night matches can be included in a series by participating teams but four-day Test matches won't be a part of the Championship. Teams will lose one Championship point for every over they are found short, in the case of slow-over rates.

New Zealand crowned inaugural WTC champions

New Zealand won the first edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) after defeating India in the final at Ageas Bowl in Southampton earlier in June. New Zealand defeated the Indian side, which was on top of the ICC Test rankings for the last 5-6 years. The one-off Test was seen as a hard-fought encounter with both sides not giving an edge for long. New Zealand came on top towards the back end of the sixth day (Reserved Day) as it managed to chase down a low target set by the famed Indian batting line-up, who faltered in front of a formidable Kiwi pace attack in their second innings.

(Image Credits: AP)

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Published July 14th, 2021 at 18:03 IST

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