Indian captain Rohit Sharma has questioned the scheduling and venue of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final after his team lost to Australia by eight wickets in Southampton on Tuesday.
The final was originally scheduled to be played in Lord's, but was moved to Southampton due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The match was also played under lights, which Sharma believes gave Australia an advantage.
"I think the scheduling could have been better," Sharma said after the match. "We had to play two warm-up games in England, and then we had to travel to Southampton. It was a long journey, and it was tough to adjust to the conditions.
"I also think that playing under lights was not ideal for us. We are not used to playing under lights, and it was difficult to see the ball. Australia, on the other hand, are used to playing under lights, and they were able to capitalize on that."
Sharma also criticized the ICC for not giving India enough time to prepare for the final. India's last Test match before the final was against England in February, and they had only one warm-up game to prepare for the match against Australia.
"We didn't have enough time to prepare for the final," Sharma said. "We had only one warm-up game, and that was not enough time to get used to the conditions.
"I think the ICC should have given us more time to prepare for the final. We were the top-ranked team in the world, and we deserved a fair chance to win the title."
Despite the loss, Sharma said that India can still be proud of their achievements in the WTC. India finished top of the standings after the league phase, and they were the only team to beat Australia in the tournament.
"We can be proud of our achievements in the WTC," Sharma said. "We finished top of the standings, and we were the only team to beat Australia. We just need to learn from our mistakes, and we will be back stronger next time."