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WTC Final: Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson's captaincy will be tested, says Mike Hesson

The clash between India and New Zealand, starting 18 June at Hampshire Bowl, will decide the winner of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

By Arnab Mukherji | Jun 6, 2021 | 2 Min Read

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 in an interaction with Cricbuzz.

“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.

Keen to note Indian top-order’s approach against swinging ball

Hesson believes that it will be interesting to note how India’s top-order batsmen react to conditions in Southampton.

“I am keen to see how India’s top-order fares against the swinging ball. The ball does a bit in Southampton and as the cross breeze comes into play — it can be a challenge for the batsmen. How the Indian top-order plays the NZ pacers could decide the outcome of the WTC final,” he said.

The former New Zealand coach also shared his opinion on Team India head coach Ravi Shastri’s belief that it would be ideal for the WTC final to be held as a three-match series in the future.

“In this edition, we only have one final. It will be interesting to see if ICC does opt for the best-of-three final in the future. It will depend on a lot of factors such as venue, playing conditions and even time,” concluded Hesson, who is currently involved with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).