Virat Kohli, a former Indian captain, led the team against New Zealand in the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC). Despite dominating Test cricket at the time, Team India fell short against the Black Caps in the 2021 final, losing by eight wickets.
After the game, a furious Kohli didn’t hold back when criticizing certain players’ attitudes. The game swung in both directions multiple times, with New Zealand only leading by 32 runs after the first innings.
However, India came apart in their second essay, scoring only 170 and setting New Zealand a goal of 139 for win. With only two wickets lost, the Kiwis won their first ICC event since the 2000 Champions Trophy.
Reflecting on the loss post-game, Virat Kohli said (via NDTV):
“We will continue to reassess and continue to have conversations around what are the things required to strengthen our side and not follow or fall prey to certain patterns. You have to reassess and replan and understand what dynamics work for the team and how we can be fearless. Bring in right people who have right mindset to perform.”
Virat Kohli
He added:
“We will not wait for a year or so and have to plan ahead. If you see our white ball team now, we have great depth and guys are ready and confident. Same thing needs to be done with Test cricket.”
Virat Kohli
Kohli had a terrible day, hitting 44 and 13, as India’s batting collapsed in both innings.
Team India missed an opportunity to make it a hat-trick of WTC finals
Team India maintained their dominance in the red-ball format even after losing the 2021 WTC final. They qualified for the summit battle in the following 2021-23 cycle, setting up an exciting match versus Australia.
However, the Asian powers missed their opportunity to capture their first World Cup trophy, losing by an unbelievable 209 runs against the Australians. For the first time in tournament history, India finished outside the top two during the recently concluded 2023-25 WTC cycle.
After losing two series in a row against New Zealand and Australia, India did not get a chance to qualify for the WTC final three years in a row. This year, Australia will play South Africa in the final at Lord’s when it begins on June 11.
If the Proteas win, they will be claiming their first ICC trophy since they won the 1998 Champions Trophy.
