Ravi Shastri responds to Rohit Sharma’s preparatory remark after WTC final

In a highly anticipated clash at the Oval in London, Team India suffered a defeat at the hands of Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final. With the win, Australia etched their name in cricketing history as the first team to clinch all major ICC trophies.

Over the course of five days, Australia demonstrated their dominance, eventually securing a 209-run victory over India on Sunday. Chasing a target of 444, the Indian team were bowled out for 234 in 63.3 overs.

This defeat adds to India’s disappointment, as they had previously lost the inaugural WTC final to New Zealand in 2021. Reflecting on the match, Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his preference for having 20-25 days to prepare for such high-stakes encounters like the WTC final.

“Ideally, yes, event like this, final like this, you need a lot of time to prepare yourself and that is what we did 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 (5th Test, Old Trafford) got called off,” Rohit told in the post-match press conference.

Notably, the team had a mere week to prepare for the final, given that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 had ended on May 28.

Rohit’s comment regarding the need for extended preparation time drew a response from former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, who disagreed with the captain’s remarks. Shastri suggested that if the team requires 20-25 days to prepare for a tournament of this magnitude, it may be necessary to consider sacrificing participation in the IPL.

That’s never going to happen. Let’s be realistic. You’re going to get 20 days, but if that’s the case, you got to miss the IPL. The choice is yours,” Shastri said on Star Sports.

He also emphasized the importance of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) working closely with IPL franchises to address the issue of inadequate preparation.

“It’s up to the establishment as well. I’m sure the BCCI is going to review this in the future. If the WTC Final is going to come after the IPL, in month of June, for that season, if your team qualifies for the final, there should be certain clauses put in for the franchises,” Shastri further said.

Team India will kick off their campaign for the 2023-25 WTC cycle with a Test series in West Indies next month.

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June 13, 2023 at 02:15PM