Kohli calls for double points for away Test wins

India cricket skipper Virat Kohli called for a change in the points system for the new World Test Championship, saying that an away win should get double the reward.

He insisted that the new championship has already improved standards in Tests.

"If you would have asked me to make the points table, I would give double the points for an away Test win," Kohli said in Pune ahead of his side's second Test against South Africa. "That is something I would definitely have liked to see, maybe after the first edition."

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been determined to create a meaningful competition for Tests, which is typically played over twoinnings-a-side and up to five days, and the WTC has been designed to give proper context to bilateral matches.

The Championship will see the top nine Test nations faceoff over a two-year period, scoring points based on their success and culminating in a final at Lord's in June 2021.

World's top-ranked Test side India lead the standings with three wins from as many matches with away victories against West Indies and the win over South Africa last Sunday. According to Kohli, the new championship format has given Test cricket a shot in the arm.

"In earlier situations, in a three-match series you probably would have played out a draw, but teams are going to go for wins and get those extra points. So I think it's great for Test cricket," he said. "It will be much more demanding on the players now, which is a good thing as it will keep the standard of Test cricket high."

"I think it's great for Test cricket, the matches are going to be that much more exciting is what we all feel and we can already experience that.

India notched up a convincing 203-run win in the opening Test against South Africa at Visakhapatnam with an all-round performance and would have a chance to wrap up the three-test series with a game to spare.

While the hosts did not name their playing side with a final call to be taken on the morning of the match on Thursday, Kohli said he did not expect any change looking at the pitch, on which India lost to Australia inside three days in 2017.