Cricket: WTC Final - Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson gear up for ultimate prize in Test cricket

India captain Virat Kohli and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson on Thursday reflected on their team’s journey in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle as the two top sides gear up for the grand finale, to be played in Southampton from Friday.

Indian skipper Kohli said that a one-off Test match to determine the winner of WTC is not a “true reflection” of his team while adding he is treating it as “just another” match. With the Test Mace on the line, Kohli isn’t too bothered about winning or losing the match yet and wants to enjoy the occasion of being in the inaugural edition of the WTC.

“One game over five days. It’s not going to reflect anything and those who understand the game know and also what has gone over the period of last four to five years," Kohli said on the eve of the big final against the Black Caps.

“If we win, cricket will not stop and if we lose also, cricket won’t stop. We are playing in quest of excellence and understand who we are as a team," the eloquent Indian captain added.

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“This is just another Test match. All these things (WTC final) look good from the outside. One game can’t become a do-or-die game. It’s a great moment but cricket goes on just like life goes on."

“The occasion needs to be enjoyed and no more important than the first Test that we all played as young players trying to rise through the ranks.

“We need to have belief in our abilities and keep things simple. It’s a contest between bat and ball."

Whereas Williamson reflected on New Zealand’s growth as a powerhouse team over the years but said that he is not reading too much into the ‘favourites’ tag given to his team.

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“There’s been a lot of growth over a period of time so many challenges along the way every day but the team has bought into it and tried to move past those with a good attitude," Williamson said on the eve of the final.

“There is lot of hard work done over a long period of time to find ourselves here in the first final (of WTC).

“It’s exciting but for us it’s just focusing on continuing that growth and trying to keep committing to the parts of our game that give us the best chance and that’s where I know the guys will be focusing on. We are trying to look at the long game and try and improve all the time."