New Zealand will play two Tests against England and an intra-squad match at the Rose Bowl ahead of the ICC World Test Championship final against India on June 18 in Southampton.
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The ICC World Test Championship final is less than two weeks away. The Indian cricket team has arrived in England for the final to begin the next part of their quarantine. The men’s and women’s cricket team shared photos of their hotel rooms from the Rose Bowl in Southampton. The Indian cricket team is serving a two-part quarantine, with the first being in Mumbai from May 25 to June 3. This next part will end on June 12 but they will be able to practice.
In the interim, India’s opponent in the final, New Zealand is playing a full-fledged series against England. They played an intra-squad game in Southampton and will play two Tests against England in Lord’s and Edgbaston. The game at Lord’s has seen Devon Conway score a double ton on debut. The rest of the batting struggled against some disciplined bowling. New Zealand’s bowlers also put on a solid performance.
The Kiwis arrived in England two-three weeks before the start of the first Test. Most of the New Zealand players arrived in batches from New Zealand and India. The contingent from India were in quarantine for a few days. Those from New Zealand did not have to undergo any form of quarantine. When it comes to a mental space, this is a good sign. For India, they have had to undergo a two-part quarantine as the country was in the Red List in the UK and that the COVID-19 cases in India were huge.
On the surface, these two Test matches and the intra-squad warm-up are exactly what New Zealand need in order to compete with India. It is perhaps this constant practice, ahead of the ICC World Test Championship final that might put them in a better head space heading into the final
The conditions in Southampton might be similar to the Basin Reserve, Hagley Oval or Seddon Park in New Zealand. But, these three matches will potentially give them the mental strength to compete with India.
Virat Kohli mentioned in his pre-departure press conference that the bowling units of both teams have the capability to take 20 wickets. It will boil down to the batting at the end of the day. The common link that attaches New Zealand and India with England is the batting collapses. In 2014 and 2018, India collapsed in some sessions which handed England the advantage. In 2013 and 2016, New Zealand’s two collapses at Lord’s saw them squander the series. The series in 2021 might want to address these issues ahead of the final. Take away Conway’s 200 and Henry Nicholls’ 61, the rest of the batting contributed just 117 runs.
The Indian cricket team are in such a mental space at this point in time that they need not get into any form of warm-up games. But, they have had their moments where they need to worry. In the ICC World Test Championship cycle, India have lost three of their opening games of the series in Australia, New Zealand and at home against England.
In previous instances, India have won the opening Test of a tour in the SENA countries only three times. They have not won an opening Test in England for the last 35 years. In 1990, 1996, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2018, they have lost the opening Test five times and drawn thrice.
India lost only one Test series in the entire cycle and there is tremendous depth in the batting and bowling. New Zealand, on the other hand, will be looking to iron out some of the flaws. Perhaps, these two Tests and the warm-up will give them a chance to build some mental strength.
Any series that will be played before a mega-tournament will aid a side in acclimatizing to the conditions. But, this is not a guarantee that it will help a side. The team that performs in sessions and who have the mental edge on the given day will win the ICC World Test Championship final.
The Indian cricket team have shown that they are not intimidated by the conditions. In Australia, they have managed to overcome the opponents in their own backyard by their sheer mental strength. The blueprint will be tested in England as they have won only four Tests in the last 30 years.
In the end, a series before the ICC World Test Championship final will be beneficial to New Zealand only if they carry the momentum forward and win the big prize. Otherwise, it will be the case of peaking too early and showing of all the cards in the deck.
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