There’s good news for the cricket fans all across the globe as India and New Zealand are set to battle it out on the field over the next 4 days in the maiden World Test Championship final. While the day one was washed out due to rains, the good news is that the weather forecast suggests ample play on Saturday and Sunday. The captains came out for the toss at 2.30 pm IST and it was New Zealand captain Kane Williamson who won the toss and elected to bowl first.
The captain took this decision based on condition looking to make the most of seam moments early in the play. Williamson is expecting the pitch to be consistent throughout the game. The New Zealand captain informed that the team has gone ahead with four front line seamers and he called India the best team in the world. On losing the toss Virat Kohli said that even he would have bowled first given the conditions. However, he is looking to put up runs on the board for this big final considering that India has a deep batting line up. He praised the team balance with a lot of variation and is banking big on the combination of pace and spin. He is not taking any added pressure for the World Test Championship final but focusing on professional approach.
Virat Kohli lost the toss and said that even he would have bowled first given the conditions.
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While the first session will go on as planned, the match officials have extended session two and three by 15 minutes each enabling it to be a 98 overs day as compared to the conventional 90 overs. The first session will be played from 3 pm to 5 pm, whereas the post lunch session will go on from 5.40 pm to 7.55 pm IST. The last session kicks off at 8.15 pm and it starts at 10.30 pm IST.
In the pre match interaction, head coach, Ravi Sashtri said that the team is all charged up for the final and compared this to an event as big as the World Cup. “Entire team is up at 6 in the morning, waiting to get going,” Ravi said. The Indian management had announced the playing 11 for the game three days in advance. When the coach was asked about the decision of locking the team in advance considering that the rains have taken a toll on the outfield and pitch, he said, “The kind of attack we have, we take the pitch out of the equation. There is skill, variety and flexibility. We might want more from fast bowlers and less from the spinners. When sun comes out later in the game, we would want more from the spinners, less from the fast bowlers."
While the first session will go on as planned, the match officials have extended session two and three by 15 minutes each enabling it to be a 98 overs day as compared to the conventional 90 overs.
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In the last 5 face offs, India has won 3 tests whereas New Zealand scored in 2 of them. The India Playing XI for the first ever World Test Championship Final are – Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammad Shami.
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates on this final.