Virat Kohli gives eye-opening advice to Indian batters ahead of WTC final 2023

The Indian cricket team will be back in the red ball action as they are set to face Australia in the Test Championship final starting from Wednesday, June 7 to 11 at The Oval. The Men in Blue were defeated by New Zealand in the inaugural edition of the championship. However, the difficulties would be more for India as some key players are already ruled of the final.

Meanwhile, former India captain Virat Kohli, who lead the Indian team for the first time in the Test Championship final in 2021, talked about the upcoming mega contest. He said the batters need to be cautious as the Oval’s pitch doesn’t look flat at all. He said that the venue is neutral for both teams and it will be exciting to see who will adapt to the conditions.

“I think The Oval will be challenging, we won’t get a flat wicket and batters need to be cautious. We will need to concentrate on our focus and discipline. So you need to have the experience to play as per the conditions and we cannot go in with the expectation that The Oval pitch will play as it always has,” Kohli was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“So we have to adjust and adapt, we have only one match in a neutral venue so whoever adapts better will win the match. This is the beauty of the World Test Championship, two neutral teams with no home advantage, so it will be very exciting to see how both teams adapt to the situation,” he added.

We can feel that respect when we play against Australia: Virat Kohli

According to Kohli, the Indian Test team is no longer taken lightly in the longest format after defeating Australia twice in their own backyard. He said that earlier there used to be some tension whenever the Indian team toured Australia which doesn’t happen now.

“Rivalry was intense in the beginning, the environment was also very tense. But since we have won in Australia twice, the rivalry has turned into respect and we are not taken lightly anymore as a Test team,” said Kohli. 

“We can feel that respect when we play against Australia, that ‘they have beaten us twice in our own backyard back-to-back and it will be a battle of equals’. There used to be tension in the air which is not the case now. When you achieve a standing, make your presence felt in the ground no one takes you lightly,” Kohli added.