Having clinched the two-match Test series against England, and more importantly, getting acclimatised to English conditions, New Zealand will be high on confidence in the highly awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final against India at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. India, on the other hand, have tried to get in the groove by playing an intra-squad game.
Considering the recent game time, Black Caps will hold a slight edge, as several former and current cricketers have pointed out, but it’s even stevens with the match being played at a neutral venue and given India’s ability to bounce back in crunch situations, much like they did during the Australia tour.
Owing to injuries and resting, the likes of Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson did not feature in the Edgbaston Test against England. Despite that, the depth in the Black Caps’ squad came to the fore as names like Devon Conway, Will Young and Matt Henry stepped up and performed.
Against India, however, one can expect a full-strength Kiwi side to take on the field. And among the Black Caps, here are a few names, in particular, that fans should watch out for:
Tim Southee
Tim Southee, who will spearhead the Kiwi pace attack, has been in rollicking form in the WTC, having picked up 51 wickets from 10 matches.
While he was rested for the second Test against England to make way for reserve players, he made the first Test count, picking up seven wickets, which included a spell of 6/43.
Black Caps’ third-highest wicket-taker in Tests can be lethal with his ability to move the ball in air and off the seam. With his experience and rampaging recent form, he is expected to ask some tough questions from the Indian batsman. He has also been the arch-nemesis of Virat Kohli, having dismissed the Indian skipper 10 times – the most by any bowler in international cricket.
Besides, the conditions in England appear tailor-made for his style of swing bowling, making him one to keep an eye on.
Trent Boult
Trent Boult adds variety to the Kiwi pace attack, with his left-arm angle, and is efficient at getting the ball to move both ways. He forms a threatening pair with Southee upfront.
The 31-year-old has been Black Caps’ third-highest wicket-taker in the WTC, scalping 34 wickets from nine matches. He recently picked up six wickets in the second Test against England.
Boult, undoubtedly, relishes bowling in England and his numbers in the country – 27 wickets from five matches at an average of 22.40 – are a testament of the same.
In case a greenish top is set up at Southampton, Boult, being a wily customer, can prove to be a major hurdle for the Indian batsmen.
Kyle Jamieson
In a team that has the likes of Boult and Southee, there may be a tendency to look past Kyle Jamieson. Although he’s at a nascent stage in his international career, it would be a blunder if India underestimate the 6ft 8inch pacer. His numbers in Test cricket are stupendous – 39 wickets from seven matches at 15.15, including four five-fors and even a 10-wicket match haul.
In the series against India on home soil last year, where he made his debut, Jamieson troubled the likes of Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. Having played alongside him at RCB in 2021, Kohli will be well aware of the talent at Jamieson’s disposal.
Due to his tall frame, he extracts extra bounce from the surface, and may put the Indian batsmen in a spot of bother with some short stuff.
Ross Taylor
India will be wary of middle-order batsman Ross Taylor, who has been an integral part of Black Caps’ batting across formats for more than 10 years.
Among those in the current squad, he is the most experienced and has scored the most runs against India – 812 runs from 14 matches, studded with three centuries and a half-century.
Averaging 45.76 and having featured in 107 matches, the experience that Taylor brings to the table is invaluable for the Black Caps. However, the veteran hasn’t looked at his best recently, scoring in excess of 50 only twice in his last 16 innings. Thus, the 37-year-old will be hungry to prove that he still has enough gas left in the tank.
Kane Williamson
After sustaining an injury to his left elbow in the first Test against England, Williamson did not feature in the Edgbaston Test. However, head coach Gary Stead has said that Williamson is expected to be fit for the final and is named in the 15-man squad.
Currently the world’s top-ranked Test batsman, Williamson is capable of soaking immense pressure and brings about a sense of calm out in the middle. Maintaining a brilliant average of 58.35, he amassed 817 runs from 14 innings, the most by any Kiwi batsman in the WTC.
Rather than brute force, Williamson relies on timing, much like his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli. His watertight technique against the moving ball as well as his ability to efficiently play spin make him a tough nut to crack for the opposition bowlers.
After the heartbreaks of the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, Williamson would be finally to break the jinx and get his hands on an ICC trophy in the inaugural WTC.
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