India is set to play New Zealand in the first ever WTC final, which will take place in Southampton, England. There are a lot of expectations from the team that Virat Kohli will lead. They will have the support of more than a billion people from around the world. Here are five reasons why this Indian Test team can create history in England.
1)Fiery opening pair
After facing a lot of trouble and scrutiny, India seems to have finally found their ideal opening pairing. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are the two openers who have almost cemented their spot as the opening pair. Both of them have looked good in the Australian series, as well as the England series in India. It is a unique combination of youth and experience, and both have certainly proved that they are more than capable of getting the new ball out of the way, and scoring big scores in tough conditions.
2) Settled middle order
This is the one area where India has rarely changed under the leadership of Virat Kohli. In seaming conditions, Kohli tends to go with four middle-order batters. Cheteshwar Pujara comes in at three, followed by Virat Kohli at four, and Ajinkya Rahane at five. Depending upon the line-up, if India chooses to go with another batsman, it would surely be Hanuma Vihari. All four batsmen offer something unique to the batting line-up. Whether Pujara tends to stay as long as he can, Kohli tends to take the pressure on and give the attack to the bowlers, Rahane is known for his silent and calm but meaningful innings. Finally, Hanuma Vihari is known to take the pressure and stay until the end of the innings, and ensure that India has a respectable score on board.
3) Young wicket-keeper
It looks like, finally, India has decided that Rishabh Pant is more than capable of being MS Dhoni’s long-term successor. He has proved himself not only in Tests, but also in other formats. His last two Test series have demonstrated how much he has improved over the year, and has added so many new skills to his quality set. He is still a pretty young keeper and has a lot to learn, but already in his short Test career of three years, he has seen and learned a lot. As a batsman, we all know his onslaughts against the mightiest bowlers in the world. He has already delivered match-winning and series-defining innings against England and Australia. If he gets going and is in his element, it is always difficult to stop him.
4) Experienced bowling line-up
India has taken as many as four spinners in their squad, but only one or two at a maximum will be able to play a Test match. There is no doubt that all four of the spinners are capable of taking wickets and contributing to the Indian scoreboard. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will likely start the final. It depends on what team combination India would play in that match. Both have all-around abilities and will be a threat to New Zealand in any part of the innings.
Coming to the seamers, India has now one of the most lethal pace bowling attacks ever. They have a mixture of youth, as well as experience in this setup. India would likely revert to their three main pace bowlers: Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Shami. Depending upon the line-up and the conditions, India might want to play the fourth seamer as well. They will have many options to choose from, with the likes of Prasidh Krishna, Siraj, and Shardul Thakur waiting in the wings.
5) Revenge on the cards
It is always heard that revenge is a dish best served cold. India will be looking forward to avenging their elimination from the 2019 ICC World Cup, which was given to them by New Zealand. They would be hoping to end their 8-year drought of ICC trophy and giving New Zealand a taste of their own medicine. New Zealand has never won an ICC trophy in their history and would love to win this test championship. On the other hand, India would love to keep the New Zealand faithful waiting.
India does not have the upper hand over New Zealand, but they are a team that needs to be feared. It is fair to say that it will be one of the best matches we would ever witness, and that too in the final of the ICC World Test Championship.
