Virat Kohli issues warning to team India over pitch conditions ahead of WTC 2023

The pressure is on run-machine Virat Kohli to make up for being outdone by New Zealand in the World Test Championship’s first edition and perform well with the bat in India’s second consecutive championship final. India, who finished second last year under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, will lock horns with Pat Cummins’ Australia in the World Test Championship final on Wednesday, June 7 at The Oval.

One of the best captains in the longest format, Kohli led India to the World Test Championship’s first final in 2021. The Asian giants were defeated by Kane Williamson’s New Zealand in the rain-shortened final at Southampton, meaning Kohli and company were unable to break India’s trophy drought in competitions. Kohli has recaptured his best form in the second Test Championship after switching to the position of pure batter after giving up the Test leadership.

We cannot go in with the expectation that The Oval pitch will play as it always has: Virat Kohli

Indian cricketers are being warned to exercise caution on The Oval’s neutral ground by Kohli, who recently broke his Test century drought against Australia. In a recent interview with Star Sports on Follow the Blues, Kohli highlighted the challenges of batting against Cummins and company at the famous venue. “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,” Kohli was quoted as saying on Star Sports.

Don Bradman’s lifetime record is something that the 35-year-old can surpass in the final match, and the former India captain is also aiming for Rahul Dravid’s incredible accomplishment against Australia at The Oval. In the second World Test Championship, Kohli has scored 869 runs for Team India so far.

“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. 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,” the right-hand batter asserted.