Cricket: 'Best of three final would be ideal' - Ravi Shastri opines on WTC Final format

India head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday said that the ICC World Test Championship should have been a best of three contest going forward and not a one-off match like the upcoming India versus New Zealand match in the inaugural edition of the tournament. India depart for the UK in the early hours of Thursday to participate in the WTC against the Black Caps in Southampton, scheduled to start from June 18.

The Virat Kohli-led outfit would go on to play five matches against England starting August 4.

"I think ideally, in the long run, if they want to pursue with this Test championship, best of three final would be ideal. A three-match series as a culmination of two and a half years of cricket," Shastri said in the pre-departure press conference.

"But they need to finish off the Future Tours Program (FTP) and then start all over again. So one-off is one-off, guys have earned their stripes, and this is not a team that is suddenly blossomed overnight."

India have already completed a 14-day quarantine in India before flying to the UK whereas New Zealand are getting match practice with the two-match series against England before the WTC final.

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Shastri said that that the WTC final is going to be the biggest if not the biggest as it is being played in the toughest format of the game.

India fly to the UK after a 14-day quarantine while New Zealand are already getting valuable practice with the two-match series underway against England. Shastri said the WTC final is a massive game.

"See, it is the first time that you have a Test Championship final. When you look at the magnitude of the game that's going to be played, I think this is the biggest, if not the biggest ever, because it's the toughest form of the game.

"It's a format that tests you. It's not happened over three days or three months, it's happened over two years, where teams have played each other around the world, and earned their stripes to play the finals so it's one heck of an event."