WTC final: Rain washes out first session of play

Southampton: Rain washed out the first session of play on the opening day of the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand at the Southampton Bowl here on Friday.

Due to the delay, the toss hasn’t taken place. The pitch and its surrounding areas were covered.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday shook off some pressure of playing the World Test Championship (WTC) final by saying one Test wouldn’t decide the best team in the world, and that India have set their sight on all six Tests they will play in England on the three-and-a-half month long.

“We are not looking at one Test match that begins tomorrow. We are looking at all the six Test matches that we have to play in England,” said Kohli in the pre-match press conference.

“It [WTC final] is not going to reflect anything. People know what has gone over the period of the last four-five years. We are playing in a quest of excellence and understand who we are as a team. This is just another Test match,” he added.

After the WTC final that runs from June 18 to 22, India play five Tests against England in August-September. The team stays on and over the next one-and-a-half months, it plays intra-squad matches.