'I don't think any other team has bad guys' - Virat Kohli on New Zealand being framed as 'nice guys'

India has a bowling attack more than capable of taking 20 wickets anywhere in the world, with the quintet of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja among the best on the planet.

And skipper Virat Kohli is expecting a high-quality Test match between the top two sides in the rankings, although he took issue with New Zealand being framed as ‘the nice guys’ of world cricket.

“I really don’t understand this term that was just used – I don’t think any other team has ‘bad guys’ in their team,” said Kohli.

“We get along very well off the field but when you step across the line, it’s business at the end of the day and you need to deal with it accordingly.

“It’s pretty serious stuff out there, it’s not something that is fun and games and played in a very low voltage environment.

“This is a huge game, a huge Test match and we are certainly looking forward to the opportunity that we have been waiting for a few years now.

“In Test cricket we have performed well and deserve to be on that field playing the brand of cricket we’ve played in the past few years.

“For us as a team, we have been on a quest for excellence for a while now and we will continue to be on that path regardless of what happens in this game.”

Virat Kohli has not set the stage on fire in 2021 in Test cricket

The Indian skipper has not had the best run with the willow in 2021 in Tests. In the 6 innings that he has played in the whites this year, Virat Kohli has scored only 172 runs and has scored his runs at an average of 28.67.

Also, since November 2019, a three-figure score has eluded Virat Kohli in the Test format as well. India has announced their playing XI ahead of the WTC Final, and both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be a part of the playing XI for the WTC summit clash against the Kiwis.

New Zealand will enter this monumental clash on the back of a series victory against England.