Ishant Sharma, an Indian pace bowler, had three stitches after injuring his bowling hand while stopping a ball during the World Test Championship final at The Ageas Bowl. However, the pacer is anticipated to be ready for the England Tests in time. According to sources familiar with the situation, the pacer was injured while bowling in New Zealand's second innings.
"Ishant needed three stitches after injuring his bowling hand while stopping the ball. However, he should be ready for the England Tests, which begin on August 4th "according to the source.Returning to the WTC final, India captain Virat Kohli stated that a best-of-three final would have been preferable to just one game.
"Well, first and foremost, to be honest, I'm not entirely convinced that one game can determine the finest Test team in the world. If it's a Test series, it has to be a three-game test of character to see which team can come back.
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"It can't just be a case of applying pressure over two days of terrific cricket and then suddenly not being a good Test side. That is something I do not believe in that." Kohli responded in during a virtual news conference."
"To really — at the end of three matches, I believe it has to be a tough grind and something that clearly needs to be worked on in the future.
There will be effort, ups and downs, situations shifting during the series, a chance to correct the mistakes made in the first game, and then a chance to really determine who is the better team over the course of a three-match series or something will be a good indication of how things really are."
"So we're not too bothered by this result because, as I said, as a Test side, we understand what we've done over the last three, four years, not just the last 18 months, but over the last three, four years," he continued. "So this is not a measure of who we are as a team and the ability and potential we've had for so many years now," he added.
The Indian players will now have a 20-day break from the bubble life in the United Kingdom. The cricketers will disperse on June 24, but will return to the bubble around July 14 for the five-Test series against England.