Cricket Free Tips | ICC World Test Championship Final: India vs New Zealand

The World Test Championship Final, which begins on Thursday, will pit India against New Zealand in a historic match. India won the points race with 520 points, while New Zealand came in second with 420 points. In the last five encounters versus New Zealand, India has a 3-2 head-to-head advantage. It will be fascinating to observe if India selects a specialist batter or an all-rounder.

Meanwhile, New Zealand has an advantage, having won the Test series 1-0 against England. After recuperating from an injury, Skipper Williamson is back in the lineup. The No. 1 Test team is well-balanced and capable of defeating any opponent.

Weather

Rain is expected to cause an interruption in this match, with showers expected on four of the five days of the Test match, which is bad news for supporters.

Even though a reserve day has been set aside, the possibilities of rain delaying play on that day are considerable. A temperature of roughly 18 degrees Celsius is expected to persist.

Pitch

The Rose Bowl will host the WTC final on a competitive track with assistance for both batters and bowlers. The pacers will start the ball moving in the early stages, as seen in the English Test County Championship, with the spinners coming into play as the ball ages. Batsmen must be on the lookout for movement off the surface. With both teams expected to favour batting first after winning the toss, the spinners should play a vital role as the match progresses.

Playing XIs

India

Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma/Mohammed Siraj

New Zealand

Kane Williamson (c), BJ Watling (wk), Devon Conway, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme/Ajaz Patel

ICC World Test Championship Final – Dream 11

Kane Williamson (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Tom Latham, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Tim Southee, Jasprit Bumrah, Neil Wagner, Kyle Jamieson

Prediction

Match winner

• India

Winning the toss

• New Zealand

Top Batsman

• India – Virat Kohli
• New Zealand – Kane Williamson

Top Bowler

• India – Mohammed Shami
• New Zealand – Tim Southee

Most Sixes 

• India – Rishabh Pant
• New Zealand – Ross Taylor

Player of the Match

• India – Virat Kohli

Team Scores Batting First 

• India – 330+
• New Zealand – 300+

It’s never easy to predict the outcome of a tournament final, especially when two of the world’s finest teams are competing.

With extra time to adjust to the seam-friendly English conditions, New Zealand would have had a modest advantage over India in a full five-day Test match. However, we are backing India to win this thrilling Test against New Zealand.