ICC WTC Final: Mohd Kaif hopes India ends losing streak against Kiwis in ICC events

ICC WTC Final : Former India cricketer Mohd Kaif took to Twitter to congratulate Virat and Indian team and hope they win against New Zealand in the inaugural ICC WTC Final.

“Never realised we old boys were the last team to beat the Black Caps in an ICC event. Hope the current Indian team finally end the losing streak and win the #WTC,” Kaif tweeted.

Never realised we old boys were the last team to beat the Black Caps in an ICC event. Hope the current Indian team finally end the losing streak and win the #WTC @BCCI

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 8, 2021

India and New Zealand will lock horns against each other at Ageas Bowl, Southampton starting June 18. India is currently ranked at No.1 Test team. They have also dominated the World Test Championship leaderboard and the difference in points is very less.

India will be confident of their 2-1 overseas win against Australia and eye to recreated the same magic.

India and New Zealand had last in a Test series where they lost the Test match series 2-0 in New Zealand during their tour of New Zealand in 2020. They had also played each other in the semifinals of the ICC World Cup 2019 where India were eliminated. India also lost a T20 World Cup in 2016 and 2007 against New Zealand.

ICC WTC Final: Test against time?

Former New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson believes that the upcoming final of the maiden edition of the ICC World Test Championship between India and New Zealand will be a test for the captains of both teams. The game will begin from June 18 and extend till 22nd June. Hesson further stated that he would be interested in noting how Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson will go about leading their respective teams.

“Both are very good leaders and yes, both are different in styles of captaincy. The players want to follow (them), which is a great sign for any leader. Kane is more of a slow-burn in the sense that he likes to put pressure over a period of time. Virat, on the other hand, is constantly looking for ways to put his side in the driver’s seat,” said Hesson.

“The WTC final will be a test of captaincy for both Kane and Virat. As the wicket changes from day to day, it will be interesting to see how both Kane and Virat make those little tweaks in their strategies to stay ahead of the game,” he added.