A fascinating ICC WTC Final saw both teams play an extremely high standard of cricket for long stretches, with the two bowling attacks particularly impressive.
Follow Us
The final of the maiden edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) between India and New Zealand witnessed its fair share of excitement. The Black Caps emerged victorious in an ICC tournament for the first time since the 2000 edition of the Champions Trophy, where they had similarly defeated Team India in the final. Both the teams played an extremely high standard of cricket for long stretches of the game. The bowling attacks of the two teams were especially extremely impressive, striking fear in the hearts of the opposition batsmen with composed gameplay and high technical prowess. Here is a look at six moments from the WTC final that defined an encounter that went down to the reserve day, which is usually extremely rare in nature:
It was important for Team India to register a big score in their first innings, as rain and bad light hampered play. Skipper Virat Kohli held the key going into Day 3 with the team well-placed on 146/3. Kohli was unbeaten on 44 with the direction of the encounter certainly set to be massively affected by his performance from that stage. However, he was unable to dominate the opposition with Kyle Jamieson accounting for his dismissal before the No. 4 had added to his overnight score. The towering quick started a collapse that saw India add just 71.
Jamieson further struck with the dismissal of Kohli on the reserve day, with the Indian fans confident of securing a draw or even posting a challenging total with the skipper at the crease. The bowler celebrated wildly, with the wicket playing a huge role in New Zealand’s march to victory.
Conway delivered a solid platform for the Black Caps, recording the Test’s top score with a circumspect 54 off 153 balls. The knock wasn’t a thrilling one, but it was exactly what his team needed at the time. The opener looked extremely confident following his 200 on Test debut at Lord’s with fifties in his two Tests since. Conway was impressive despite the pressure of the WTC final, displaying superb mental fortitude. The New Zealand opener’s half-century laid a platform for his side to take a first-innings lead.
New Zealand looked well set to finish with a first-innings deficit after Indian pacer Mohammed Shami’s brilliant bowling. However, Jamieson and Tim Southee delivered the goods down the order when most needed. The duo added 51 runs in 62 balls as the tail-enders made their presence felt. The speed at which they scored was completely out of keeping with the majority of the Test. India could have well had the upper hand going into the second innings, if not for those runs.
India would have been in a strong position to dictate play on the reserve day, if they had managed to get to the close on Day 5 without losing both of their openers. The team looked on course to do that, following a fine innings from Rohit Sharma who scored 30 runs from 80 deliveries. However, Rohit failed to negotiate a delivery from Tim Southee that moved back in just when the day was drifting to a close, leaving the player in all sorts of trouble as he shouldered arms. It was a huge misjudgement from the batter. That error gave New Zealand the boost they needed going into the final day.
India still had hope as long as Rishabh Pant was out in the middle. The wicketkeeper-batsman’s slightly frenetic innings had left New Zealand in a state of concern, with the batter capable of putting the chase beyond the Black Caps’ reach if permitted to continue for another half hour. It needed something special to dismiss him as Henry Nicholls provided, maintaining his composure to complete a catch over his shoulder running back from point. With Pant dismissed, India crumbled with New Zealand handed a massive advantage.
New Zealand recorded a triumph by a margin of eight wickets after being handed a target of 139 runs in 53 overs. It seemed comfortable at the end of the game but it was anything but, as Ravichandran Ashwin left the batsmen in a spot of bother during a period in the chase. Kohli had been criticised for picking two spinners in a Test, where the opposition had not selected a single spinner. However, Ashwin made his presence felt with a spell of high-quality off-spin bowling that had New Zealand’s top order in all sorts of trouble on reserve day. Tom Latham was the first player dismissed after being fooled by the flight, resulting in him being stumped by Pant for nine. Devon Conway was trapped in front for 19 soon after.
Kane Williamson was himself in a spot of bother, following a fizzing delivery that had the New Zealand skipper in two minds. Ashwin looked supremely excited as the finger went up. However, a worried-looking Williamson went for the review, with the replay confirming that line would be the issue for India. The dismissal of the New Zealand skipper at that stage would have put the middle order in a spot of bother, increasing the chances of the match ending in a draw.
Rishabh Pant's explosive last-over blitz ignites IPL 2024 amid T20 World Cup comeback talks
