Indian skipper Virat Kohli is sure that Team India will come good in the second cycle of the World Test Championship and will give the fans ‘a a lot to cheer about. India will begin their campaign of the next WTC cycle next month with a five-match Test series against England.
In the inaugural edition, Team India came second to New Zealand after being defeated in the final by eight wickets in Southampton. India were runaway leaders at the points table but was unable to stop the Kiwi force in the marquee clash.
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“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,” said Kohli.
India will kick-off the second WTC cycle with the five-match series against England, scheduled to start from August 4 in Nottingham, which will also mark the commencement of the Championship.
“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,” Kohli added.
England were unable to book a berth in the final of WTC after losing the Test series in India by 3-1. But they will try to change their fortune this time but it will take some doing as they are lined up to play several big teams in this cycle.
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England skipper Joe Root believes the series against India will be an interesting challenge.
“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,” said England captain Root.
“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,” Root further added.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Wednesday, has announced the new points system for the new WTC cycle. Now, teams will get 12 points for a win irrespective of the number of matches in a series unlike the first cycle, where the series had 120 points at stake.
