Virat Kohli on World Test Championship: 'Double the points for away wins'

According to Kohli, the new championship format has given Test cricket a shot in the arm and encouraged teams to play positive cricket.

Virat Kohli insisted that the new championship has already improved standards in Tests.

If cricket is far from being a simple sport for a tyro, the World Test Championship (WTC) is even more complicated to fathom even for an ardent lover of the game. As the debate over the fairness of the points system heats up with the WTC settling in, India captain Virat Kohli has said he would prefer an additional incentive for winning a Test overseas.

“If you would have asked me to make the points table, I would give double the points for an away Test win. That is something I would definitely would like to see. May be after first edition,” Kohli said on Wednesday, ahead of India’s second Test versus South Africa.

“Look the importance of every game has become that much more. In situations like a three-match series, you probably would have played out a draw, but teams are going to go for wins and get those extra points, so, I think it’s great for Test cricket.”

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With India topping the WTC table in its early stages, Kohli stated that the competition has made cricketers more intense. “The matches are going to be much more exciting is what we all feel and already experienced that. We have to be professional in every session that we play. It will be much more demanding on the players now, which is a good thing as it will keep the standard of Test cricket high. These are the only things that we have experienced so far in terms of changes,” he said.

While India has maintained a clean slate in its three Tests of the WTC so far - two in West Indies followed by the first of the Freedom Series in Visakhapatnam, South Africa had its first brush of the new tournament last week. Admitting that the points system is “complicated”, captain Faf du Plessis said that not losing points at home will be critical for the teams to feature in the final, scheduled in mid-2021.

“It is complicated. Obviously shorter the Test series, the more points you get. You get a 120 points for two wins and then you play a five-match series, then you've to win 5-0 which is a lot harder than winning 2-0,” du Plessis said.

“But I've noticed with these things, you'll always find holes and flaws. It's never a perfect system. So for us it's just about being the first who is going through this journey now with the Test championship. I think home games are going to be really important.”