New Zealand chased down the target of 139 on the reserve day after bowling India out for 170 in their 2nd innings to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in Southampton on Wednesday.
Follow Us
As Ravichandran Ashwin accounted for the dismissal of Devon Conway to mark the second wicket in New Zealand’s chase of 139, the Indian fans jumped up in delight. Conway’s departure had sparked hopes of a comeback against the odds on the sixth day in the final of the maiden edition of the World Test Championship (WTC). The opener had finished as the top run-getter in the first innings, making his presence felt with a fine knock. Ashwin was breathing fire having accounted for the dismissal of Tom Latham previously as well. Surely, an all too familiar comeback was around the corner.
However, today was not one of those days as the Indian fans soon realised. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor joined hands to stitch a partnership that would steadily go about wrestling any momentum and initiative from the opposition bowling attack. The unbeaten partnership helped New Zealand chase down the target of 139 without much ado, with the Black Caps emerging victorious by a margin of eight wickets.
The Kiwis have recorded their first triumph in an ICC tournament since the 2000 edition of the Champions Trophy. They defeated India in the final of the edition, with their brilliant record against the Asian giants certainly an area of concern for the Indian fans. The Men in Blue last emerged victorious against the Black Caps in an ICC tournament back in the 2003 World Cup, with New Zealand triumphant in every ICC tournament encounter since.
The Indian fielders seemed to be under pressure, with Cheteshwar Pujara and Jasprit Bumrah seen dropping simple catches. Pujara was guilty of letting go of an opportunity to dismiss Taylor at first slip. Bumrah was the bowler who delivered a superb length, with the ball angling inside before straightening away. Taylor attempted to defend in front of the body, before getting a thick edge.
Bumrah was handed an opportunity to make amends by pulling off a catch following an opportunity created from a poor shot by Kane Williamson. Williamson attempted to hoick across the line but only managed a leading-edge off Mohammed Shami, who was left in no position to react after his fellow pacer failed to complete the catch running back from backward point.
Earlier, New Zealand fast-bowler Kyle Jamieson delivered a superb performance with the ball, leaving the Indian duo of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in a lot of discomfort. The latter was the first to depart, edging the ball to Ross Taylor at slips having scored 15 runs off 80 deliveries. Kohli was dismissed soon after, following a nick to keeper BJ Watling for 13 runs off 29 deliveries. Jamieson dismissed the Team India skipper in both innings.
Rishabh Pant stepped up when his team needed a game-changer even in this scenario, attempting to stitch partnerships with vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (15) and Ravindra Jadeja (16). However, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner managed to break through the resistance, catching Rahane and Jadeja off-guard with their shrewdly executed plans.
Pant (41) soon followed them back to the pavillion having attempted to play a rash shot in search of quick runs, with limited support at the other end. A cameo by Mohammed Shami (13 off 10) down the order helped India finish with 170 in their second innings, which was never going to be enough against a strong New Zealand batting.
While the Black Caps had posted a total of 249 in the first innings, the Indian team had registered a total of 217. The clash experienced its fair share of delays due to rain, which resulted in a lot of criticism from the fans.
Rishabh Pant's explosive last-over blitz ignites IPL 2024 amid T20 World Cup comeback talks
