The final Test
Unlock Exclusive Insights with The Tribune Premium
Take your experience further with Premium access. Thought-provoking Opinions, Expert Analysis, In-depth Insights and other Member Only Benefits
Advertisement
Southampton, June 17
An upbeat New Zealand will take on an undercooked India aiming to become Test cricket’s first official world champions when they clash in the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final staring tomorrow.
Advertisement
Ashwin, Jadeja plus three seamers
India named spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in a five-man bowling attack for the final. The pitch at the stadium on the outskirts of Southampton assists spin bowlers but rain started to fall today afternoon and more is forecast over the course of the match, prompting speculation that India might field only one slow bowler. However, at the pre-match captains’ news conferences, India captain Virat Kohli said the weather forecast would have no bearing on the team selection which was announced shortly afterwards.
India’s Playing XI: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami. Agencies
Advertisement
The one-off match marks the culmination of a two-year cycle of the WTC, which was launched in 2019 to create Test cricket’s own pinnacle event. The International Cricket Council wanted the championship to bring relevance and context to Test cricket and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said it had been a success.
New Zealand are looking to shed the bridesmaids tag in big finals, having finished runners-up at the last two 50-overs World Cups.
The WTC final presents them with another opportunity to become world champions and they look ready to grasp their chance, signalling their preparedness with a 1-0 series victory against England. Particularly impressive was how the team under stop-gap captain Tom Latham, having made six changes to their squad, triumphed by eight wickets inside four days in Edgbaston.
Rusty India
By contrast, India have not played a Test match since March and are yet to win an ICC trophy under skipper Virat Kohli.
The WTC final could prove to be a contest between India’s star-studded batting line-up and New Zealand’s versatile pace attack armed with the fast-swinging Dukes ball. With an animated Kohli and a phlegmatic Williamson leading their troops, the final will also be a clash of contrasting leadership styles. — Reuters
Advertisement
Advertisement