Please don’t shift the goalposts – Ravi Shastri slams ICC’s WTC rule change

Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has come down hard at the International Cricket Council for changing the World Test Championship points system rule.

India was at the top of the points table with 360 points in October-November but the governing body decided that the final two teams will be decided on a winning percentage system – PCT.

As all the teams couldn’t complete their scheduled number of Test matches due to Covid-19, the ICC took the decision to give an equal chance to all the teams. However, the new rule was a bit harsh on India as they slipped to the third position despite having a dominant home season in 2019.

This new rule meant that India had to beat Australia in Australia and also win the series against England by either 2-1 or better margin. The Indian team stunned Australia as they won the Border Gavaskar series by 2-1 as AjinkyaRahane led from the front in the absence of full-time skipper ViratKohli.

Subsequently, India obliterated England by 3-1 in the four-match series, to seal their place in the final of the World Test Championship. As a result, India finished with 520 points, 100 points more than second-placed New Zealand, and a PCT of 72.2%, which was also the best among all the teams. Thus, there is no doubt that India deserved its place in the final of the WTC.

“Please don’t shift the goalposts (On what advice he will give to the ICC for the next WTC). I’m sitting at home in November during COVID time. You have got more points than any other team in the world—360 at that time. Suddenly a week later, without playing cricket, there’s suddenly a rule that comes where they are going to go on the percentage system, where we went from no.1 to no.3 in a week. Fine, that’s because of countries not wanting teams to travel (because of COVID). All acceptable.” the former all-rounder said in a virtual press conference.

“I want to understand the logic behind this. I have two tours left, sitting on top of the table, leading by 60-70 points. They said you have to go to Australia and beat Australia. How many teams in 100 years or last ten years have gone to Australia and beat Australia? We were sitting on top of the table with 360 points. With the percentage system, we had to go to Australia and beat Australia. If you don’t beat Australia and beat England 4-0, you get 500 points and still don’t qualify.”

India was able to tick the right boxes as they came up with a collective effort in the last two years. The ViratKohli-led team only lost four matches – two against New Zealand, one against Australia, and one against England out of the 17 matches they played. India won 12 matches and showed that they deserved to be in the final of the WTC.

As per the latest reports, the final of the WTC can be shifted from Lord’s to Southampton.