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'You Have To Miss The IPL...,' Ravi Shastri Speaks His Heart Out After WTC Final Loss

image-lirmtzzqAustralia are the champions of World Test Championship 2023 (PC: Twitter)

India’s wait for an ICC trophy continues as Australia thrashed Rohit Sharma-led unit by a huge 209 runs in the recently concluded World Test Championship Final on Sunday at the Oval. Chasing 444-run target, the men in blue had a mountainous task ahead of them on Day 5, needing 280 runs with three wickets in hand.

Eventually, Australia dominated right from the start of the first session, just like in the major part of this test match, removing Virat Kohli early, followed by Ravindra Jadeja which sparked a collapse in the Indian innings. India went on to bowled out on 234, falling 209 runs short, conceding a second consecutive loss in the WTC Final.

Following India being unable to clinch another ICC tournament, a lot of talking points emerged amongst the cricket fans and pundits. Whether the decision was right to bowl first? Did India miss Ravichandran Ashwin on this surface? Or did they get enough time to prepare?

A lot of Indian players arrived late in England as they were busy playing in the recently concluded IPL 2023. Cheteshwar Pujara was the only player not featuring in the IPL. He was playing County Cricket for Sussex in England right from its first round in April.

India’s head coach Rahul Dravid had earlier stated that two tour games ahead of the summit clash would have done a world of good as preparation.

Ravi Shastri Gives Brutal Reality Check

On being asked about the possibility of Indian players getting more time to prepare for the final, former India head coach Ravi Shastri contradicts with the fact that there is a very less chance of it to happen.

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

It is a fact that there will be an IPL every year and there will be a WTC Final in the month of June after every cycle. The players might have to make a choice as well if an opportunity to play the final arrives in future. 

The Australian players were coming into the WTC Final on the back of a long break. Meanwhile, the entire Indian contingent was here in England after two months of grueling IPL schedule.