WTC Final 2023: 'Why after the IPL final?' — Rohit Sharma questions scheduling after defeat to Australia

This article was originally published in FirstPost.com

Rohit Sharma also added that the WTC final should be played in the best-of-three format rather than having one match to decide the winner.

India captain Rohit Sharma feels 25-30 days will be ideal time for preparation for WTC final. AP

India captain Rohit Sharma has questioned the scheduling of the World Test Championship (WTC) final after India suffered a 209-run defeat to Australia in the 2023 summit clash. This was India’s second consecutive defeat in the WTC final. In 2021, they lost by eight wickets to New Zealand.

Both finals so far have been played in England in the month of June. The 2021 final was held at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, while the recently-concluded match took place at The Oval in London.

The 2025 WTC final will be played at the Lord’s.

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After the defeat to Australia on Sunday, Rohit was asked about the lack of preparation on Team India’s behalf due to the Indian Premier League (IPL). The India skipper was of the opinion that scheduling should be better to handle such a clash.

“Why after the IPL final? Why cannot it be March? June is not the only month we should play the final. It can be played any time of the year and anywhere in the world, not just in England, it can be played anywhere in the world,” Rohit said after the match.

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Team India only had a week to prepare for the WTC final after the IPL got over, and Rohit felt that 25-30 days would be an ideal time to prepare for such a big contest.

“Ideally, yes, event like this, final like this, you need a lot of time to prepare yourself and that is what we did in the last time when we were here in England. We had good 25-30 days to prepare ourselves. And you saw the result. We were 2-1 up until that game got called off.

“We would want to have good time in hand to prepare, give enough rest to the bowlers,” the Indian captain said.

“And then Test cricket obviously requires a lot of discipline, hitting that area consistently and challenging the batsmen – but again you know Shami, Siraj, Umesh they all are experienced. But in an ideal scenario, yes, I would prefer if we have 20, 25 days to prepare for a game like this.”

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Rohit also added that the WTC final should be played in the best-of-three format rather than having one match to decide the winner.

“I would love that [a three-match final]. But is there a time? That’s the big question. Honestly, in a big event like this you need to have fair opportunities for both the teams,” Rohit said.

“A three-match series would be nice but it’s about finding that window, where it can fit in. An event like this you work hard for two years and then you only have one shot at it. It’s not really – you cannot get into that momentum that you need in Test cricket. Test cricket is all about finding that rhythm, finding that momentum as well. I think yeah, if in the next cycle if it is possible, three-match series would be ideal.”

Australia captain Pat Cummins has no issues with the one-game final.

“I think it’s fine. No qualms. I think ideally you’d have 50-match series but the Olympics have come down to one race to win a gold medal. AFL, NRL seasons have finals. That’s sport,” Cummins said.

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