The ICC World Test Championship Final 2021 will be held between June 18 and 22 and will pit Team India against New Zealand. The Ageas Bowl in Southampton will host the IND versus NZ Final. Both sides finished in the top two slots in the World Test Championship points table, earning a berth in the 2021 World Test Championship final.
Last month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] revealed Team India’s squad. During the ICC World Test Championship cycle, Team India was comfortably the best team, winning five of their six series, including home series victories against England and South Africa, as well as a historic Test series victory in Australia.
India will face an uphill fight in the final against New Zealand, after finishing first in the World Test Championship 2021. With physical circumstances similar to those seen in New Zealand, Kane Williamson and his teammates will like their chances of defeating their opponents in a high-profile match.
Here are the players to watch out at WTC Final
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Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma was the leading run-scorer in the England Test series, with a stunning century-161 in the first Test in Chennai. In the pink ball, D/N Test in Ahmedabad, he was also the only batsman who seemed assured on a rank turner. During the WTC cycle, Rohit Sharma batted 17 innings and scored 1030 runs at an average of 64.37, including four centuries and a handful of double-tons. Regardless of Rohit’s problems against the moving ball, Team India will need the veteran campaigner to deliver.
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Virat Kohli
For Indian skipper Virat Kohli, the World Test Championship cycle was a tale of starkly contrasting sides. Kohli blasted runs like crazy in the first half, scoring 254 against South Africa and becoming the first Indian to reach a century in a pink-ball Test against Bangladesh in November 2019. He understands the ball’s swing and seam, and New Zealand has the bowlers to take advantage of the conditions, so he’ll need to be at his best as a batsman and as captain.
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Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant’s form with the willow has been the biggest positive for the Indian team in the previous three and a half months. With the bat, the wicket-keeper has had a great season, and he was instrumental in India’s series victories against Australia and England. Pant came back to restore his place as one of the top Test batsmen of the present age after losing his spot to Wriddhiman Saha during the first part of the WTC. When India plays New Zealand in the World Test Championship at Lord’s, Pant will be a game-changer and a vital component of the squad.
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Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah, who has the ability to pick wickets against the flow of play, will be a pivotal bowler for India if they are to win the ICC WTC final against New Zealand. Due to the nature of the tracks, Bumrah had a lot of work to do during the home Test series against England, but he was fantastic during the Australian series, where he took over as the pace attack’s leader in the absence of Ishant and Shami. In the World Test Championship final, Bumrah will undoubtedly make things difficult for the Black Caps.
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Ravichandran Ashwin
If the circumstances aren’t cloudy or seam-friendly for the World T20 final, India would very certainly field Jadeja and Ashwin. Ashwin has had a fantastic start to the year 2021. The off-spinner has now taken 34 wickets at an average of only 18.82 in the five Test matches he has played this year. Ashwin has also helped the team’s success with the bat this season. He’ll be key for India against New Zealand, whose batsmen, like England’s, are vulnerable to excellent spin.
