Rohit wants best-of-three finals format after seismic Oval defeat in WTC final

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has called for a bestofthree finals format and a preparation for at least 2025 days in case they reach a third successive World Test Championship WTC final following backtoback defeatsIndia lost to Australia by 209 runs at The Oval on Sunday to extend their barren run in ICC events since 2013 They had finished runnersup to New Zealand in the inaugural WTC final also held in England two years agoThen head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli had highlighted the need for a bestofthree finals following the game against New Zealand at SouthamptonA bestofthree format would need at least a one month window which is extremely tough to fit in a calendar busier than ever with the advent of T20 leagues around the world However Rohit would love to have thatI would love that But is there a time Thats the big question But honestly in a big event like this you need to have fair opportunities to both the teams You know a threematch series would be nice but its about finding that window where it can be fit inBut I would love to have in an event like this you work hard for two years and then you have only one shot at it So its not really you cannot get into that momentum that you need in Test cricket you knowAlso Read How Team Indias 2023 WTC final defeat brings back 2003 World Cup memoriesTest cricket is all about finding that rhythm finding that momentum as well So I think yeah if in the next cycle if it is possible three match series would be ideal said the skipperHowever his opposite number Pat Cummins politely disagreed after taking his team to a maiden WTC titleI think its fine No qualms I think ideally youd have 50 match series but Olympics have come down to one race to win a gold medal AFL NRL seasons have finals Thats sport said Cummins in his brief responseSince most of the squad members were busy with the IPL they could only get a week to train together for the final against AustraliaGoing forward Rohit would like much longer preparation period and he would also want to see the final being played at a different time and in a different locationIdeally yes event like this final like this you need a lot of time to prepare yourself and that is what we did in the last time when we were here in England We had good 2530 days to prepare ourselves And you saw the result We were 21 up until that game got called offWe would want to have good time in hand to prepare give enough rest to the bowlersAnd then Test cricket obviously requires a lot of discipline hitting that area consistently and challenging the batsmen but again you know Shami Siraj Umesh they all are experienced But in an ideal scenario yes I would prefer if we have 20 25 days to prepare for a game like this said RohitThe ICC has already stated that the next WTC final will be played at the Lords but Rohit said the game can be played anywhereI mean June is not the only month we should play the finals It can be played any time of the year And anywhere in the world not just in England It can be played anywhere in the world he addedWith PTI inputs