India and New Zealand are all set to lock horns for the first-ever ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021 Final, starting from Friday, June 18 at Southampton.
New Zealand’s Kane Williamson wants his team to use the biggest stage to show the world just how far they’ve come as he prepares to lead his side in the much anticipated WTC 2021 Final.
How Teams Reached Here
Virat Kohli-led India qualified for ‘The Ultimate Test’ after finishing first on the standings but their spot in the decider was not achieved until their very last match against England.
India started their campaign with straight series wins against West Indies, South Africa and Bangladesh. They were dealt with a hard time in New Zealand where they suffered a 2-0 defeat.
Virat Kohli vs Kane Williamson
The top two all-rounders of world cricket will be leading their sides respectively and can play a pivotal role in their teams. The match will be a declaration of their class as they are called ‘batters of this generation’ and being among the top five in current batsmen rankings.
🤩#NewCoverPic | #WTC21 Final pic.twitter.com/F3EsrRM1Gh
— ICC (@ICC) June 17, 2021
Teams
India has announced their playing XI while New Zealand will name at the time of toss.
SQUADS
India
Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav.
🚨 NEWS 🚨
Here's #TeamIndia's Playing XI for the #WTC21 Final 💪 👇 pic.twitter.com/DiOBAzf88h
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 17, 2021
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New Zealand
Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Will Young.
The @BLACKCAPS have named a 15-member squad for the #WTC21 Final 👇 pic.twitter.com/g2T4XNCrMW
— ICC (@ICC) June 15, 2021
After missing the second Test against England – a match his Black Caps won – captain Williamson is set to return from an elbow injury at No.3 behind a likely pair of Tom Latham and Devon Conway, who will be making his WTC debut. Veteran Ross Taylor and the reliable Henry Nicholls can be expected to round out the top five.
Having missed the second Test against England with a back complaint, wicket-keeper BJ Watling looks set to return to the XI at either No.6 or 7.
Prize Money
The WTC Final winner will receive the ICC Test Championship Mace, which has been traditionally held by the No.1 Test team and prize money of $1.6 million while the runner-up will collect $800,000. As the result of a draw, the prize money for the first and second will be split between the two sides and the Mace shared.
What will be the match timings for the Test final match?
The WTC final between India and the New Zealand cricket team will begin at 3:00 pm India time (10:30 am BST).
At what time will IND vs NZ WTC final live toss take place?
The New Zealand vs India live toss for the WTC final will take place 30 minutes before the scheduled start of play that is 2:30 pm IST or 10:00 am BST.