India’s journey to the World Test Championship (WTC) final has been littered with obstacles that have put their bench strength and mental toughness to the test. Virat Kohli and his team, on the other hand, came back stronger and qualified for the World T20 final, which will be hosted in England from June 18 to 22. With 2914 points, India now leads the ICC Test rankings, while New Zealand is in second place. As a result, we should expect a great contest between two heavyweight squads.
Despite being at the top of the table, India faced an uphill task to qualify for the final owing to a modification in the points system caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To qualify for the showcase event, they had to beat Australia in their own backyard and then England at home. Injury troubles, batting failures, difficult situations, and so on couldn’t keep this great Indian squad from completing the scenarios and securing a summit battle with New Zealand.
India must swiftly adjust to the conditions in England, where seamers will thrive, and both bowling and batting departments are well matched.
In this article, we explain what India needs to do against New Zealand for winning the WTC Trophy
Performance from pace attack
India’s formidable pace attack is one of the main reasons for Virat Kohli’s success as Test captain. Under Virat Kohli’s wise leadership, players like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Ishant Sharma have excelled. The seamers’ performances will be crucial to India’s hopes since the 22-yard strip in Southampton would favor them more.
With the customary three of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah back in the lineup, India’s pace attack appears to be stronger than ever. They have performed admirably as a unit, taking up regular wickets and destroying the batting lineups of teams all around the world. Aside from the three, the bench bowlers are also capable of creating a similar impact. There are a variety of match-winning alternatives in the team, both seasoned and young.
Good start from Openers
Neil Wagner, Kylie Jamieson, Trent Boult, and Tim Southee lead New Zealand’s bowling attack, which will put the Indian openers to the test. India would be in a good position after the first session if Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill/Mayank Aggarwal can handle the early overs. As a result, India’s prospects in the final will be determined by the opening combination.
Rohit Sharma is widely regarded as one of India’s top batsmen. The 34-year-old, though, had to wait a long time to dominate in Test cricket owing to a multitude of factors. In the home Tests against South Africa and Bangladesh, Rohit amassed 556 runs at an incredible average of 92.66, including two centuries and a double-century. He was also a successful opener in foreign circumstances, scoring two fifties in four innings in Australia.
Stable middle-order
Middle-Order is one area where India has remained mostly unchanged under Virat Kohli’s leadership. Kohli likes to use four middle-order batsmen in seaming situations. At number three, Cheteshwar Pujara is followed by Virat Kohli at number four, and Ajinkya Rahane at number five.
If India chooses to go with another batsman, it will very certainly be Hanuma Vihari, depending on the line-up. In the middle order, India can play either Hanuma Vihari or Ravindra Jadeja, deepening the batting order to number seven. R Ashwin is coming off a strong series with the bat against Australia and England, and he can bat at number eight.
