If Virat Kohli gets going in the WTC final, we will have some fun: Ravi Shastri

Former India skipper Virat Kohli has a terrific record against Australia in the longest format of the game. In 24 Test matches he has played so far against the Baggy Greens, the 34-year-old has scored 1979 runs at an average of 48.26. Thus, Ravi Shastri believes that Kohli will be very important for India in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia, which is slated to begin on June 7 at The Oval, London.

Shastri added that Kohli wakes up differently if the match is against Australia. He also mentioned that if the cricketer gets going with the bat, then the Aussie bowlers will be under a lot of pressure as Kohli has the calibre to change the complexion of the game at any point.

“Virat Kohli will wake up differently if the match is against Australia, he smells the coffee much earlier if it's Australia, so if he gets going, gets to 20, then we will have some fun,” Shastri said while talking to ICC.

Notably, ending a wait of 1205 days, Kohli had smashed his 28th Test century to help India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier in 2023. He was also in sensational form in the recently concluded Indian Premier League, and thus, if he keeps up with the same form, the Rohit Sharma-led side can very well dream of winning their first ICC trophy in almost ten years.

Meanwhile, Kohli recently stated that the conditions at The Oval will be really challenging, and the team that adjusts well will go on to win the championship. He also added that it will not be a flat track; thus, the batters must be cautious.

“I think the conditions at The Oval will be challenging. We won’t get a flat wicket and batters need to be cautious. One will have to play cautiously and put tremendous importance on technique and discipline. It’s all up to the experience that you play according to what conditions have been presented to you. We can’t go in with a pre-determined mindset that this is how the pitch is going to play and need to adjust and adapt,” said Kohli in a video shared by Star Sports.