The much-awaited day is here as India lock horns with New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, starting June 18 (Friday). The next five days will decide the inaugural winner of the Test supremacy.
The Black Caps recently minted the No.1 Test team in the world on the rankings, take on an Indian side that has been close to a fixture there for the past five years. Virat Kohli & Co have dominated almost all their opponents in the last few years excluding New Zealand against whom they lost last year. The Indian boys will be pumped to play their best cricket and culminate their efforts to winning the illustrious ICC mace.
However, it isn’t going to be easy against New Zealand. The Kiwis head into the final on the back of a stunning win over England, despite Kane Williamson and Kyle Jamieson missing the second Test. The addition of Devon Conway has filled a gap in the batting unit, which already boasts world-beaters Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls. All eyes will be on the pace duo of Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson, given their recent success in Test cricket.
Match Details
Match: India vs New Zealand, ICC World Test Championship Final 2021
Date and Time: 18th June 2021, at 3:30 PM IST
Venue: The Rose Bowl, Southampton
Pitch Report
A competitive track with help available for both batsmen and bowlers is expected at the Rose Bowl for the WTC final. As seen in the English Test County Championship, the pacers will get the ball to move around in the early phase, with the spinners coming into play as the ball gets old.
The batsmen will need to keep an eye out for movement off the surface. The spinners should play a prominent role as the match progresses, with both sides likely to prefer batting first upon winning the toss.
Weather Report
If the forecast is anything to go by, the dreaded English summer rain could well be a constant companion during this WTC final. Temperatures will hover around 16-20 degrees Celsius, with significant chances of precipitation over the next five days.
The ICC, meanwhile, has added a reserve day (June 23) for the illustrious WTC final. The sixth day will only be used to “ensure five full days of play”. In simple words, it will only be used if lost overs (due to any reason) can’t be completed in the first five days of the WTC final.
Predicted Playing XI
India (confirmed): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Chesteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling/Tom Blundell (wk), Colin de Grandhomme/Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Trent Boult, and Neil Wagner
WTC Final: India vs New Zealand WTC final Dream11 Fantasy Suggestions
Fantasy Suggestion #1: Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohd Shami, Trent Boult, and Kyle Jamieson
Captain: Virat Kohli. Vice-captain: Trent Boult
Fantasy Suggestion #2: Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Shami, Trent Boult, and Kyle Jamieson
Captain: Tom Latham. Vice-captain: Virat Kohli
