WTC Final is a part of India's pursuit of excellence - Virat Kohli 

The World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand is being promoted as the 'Ultimate Test' by the ICC.

But Indian skipper Virat Kohli said the result of the one-off match against the Kiwis shouldn't decide which is the best test side in world cricket. Kohli further said his team would take the final as part of India's "pursuance of excellence."

"If you are deciding on the best Test team in the world in just over a period of five days, that can't, ever be true," Kohli said during a pre-match media briefing. "You can rectify your mistakes and focus on things that didn't go your way. At the end of the day you realize you play sport either to be beaten by your opponents or you are going to win."

India won the last ICC tournament under MS Dhoni's captaincy back in 2013. India lost in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup in 2016. In 2017 India lost the Champions Trophy final to Pakistan. In the 2019 World Cup, the Kiwis beat India in the semifinals.

"Win or lose, cricket never stops for us. Our mindset is our priority and we strive for excellence every day. We step on to the field every game that we play with a passion to win. You always look up to your players to stand up in difficult conditions and keep proving that you belong here and you take a lot of pride in playing for India," said Kohli.

"India preparing for six tests, not one" - Kohli

Kohli said his team are preparing for a long English summer and not just one test against the Kiwis.

"We haven't come here to just play a one-off Test. We have also come here to play six Tests in the English summer. Our players understand their strengths very well and they understand how to utilize those strengths and they will do that during these six Tests," said Kohli.

While Ravi Shastri claimed the WTC final would be the biggest match for India, Kohli deprecated the superlatives. On being asked whether winning the WTC final would be on par with winning the 2011 World Cup, Kohli said he wants India to treat it like another Test match without creating any hype.

"It's just another Test match to be played in English conditions. Things seem very exciting from the exterior where there is so much extra stuff involved with one game and it sort of becomes do-and-die," added Kohli.