'World Test Championship is interesting because India is in the final' - Ramiz Raja

Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja believes that the International Cricket Council (ICC) should have staged the World Test Championship (WTC) in a separate window during which the other formats shouldn't have been played. Raja said that having an exclusive window for the WTC will boost the popularity of Test cricket. The inaugural edition of the World Test Championship started in August 2019 and will conclude with India and New Zealand crossing swords, at Ageas Bowl in Southampton on June 18, for the title.

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"I think the World Test Championship should have been conducted in a completely different window. A six-month window during which teams could have played against each other. "Other formats should not have been conducted in this window, because if you are keen to uplift the Test cricket, this type of window has to be created," Raja said on India News Sports.

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The cricketer turned commentator said that the hype around the WTC final is because India has made it to the summit clash, adding that had any other team apart from India would have been up against New Zealand, there wouldn't have been that much interest.

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"The span of two years is quite long and people might forget who played against whom. The tournament has become interesting just because India is in the final. Had it been some other team playing New Zealand, there wouldn’t have been that much interest," Raja said.

Ramiz Raja further highlighted a minor issue in Indian skipper Virat Kohli's batting but emphasised that Kohli is a great batsman and knows how to rectify the flaws.

"What I have seen in his batting off late, he has been playing cross the line towards the leg side, breaking his wrist. If he maintains his position and plays straight and then plays his flicks, then it won’t be a problem anymore. However, he knows what he needs to do. So, there is nothing to worry about it.

"Sometimes you think much and put yourself under pressure of not getting runs or centuries. As long as he plays the first 20-25 over straight and doesn’t break his wrist very much, he can succeed in this Test match," he added.

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