Road to Southampton: World Test Championship Finals

 

With over two years of electrifying red ball action, captivating feats of heroism, scintillating individual and team performances and era-defining moments behind us, the cricketing world is set to crown its first-ever World Test Champions. A total of 10 teams participated in the World Test Championship back in July 2019 at the time of its inception and the two rightfully deserved teams; India and New Zealand, who are on the cusp of history and are set to go head-to-head in the Finals, to be held at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.

Both India and New Zealand has had quite a journey; filled with ups and downs in reaching the WTC Finals. Here’s a special look at it.

India’s Road to the Finals

 

Conquering the Caribbean (July 2019): India’s journey in the WTC started with a tour of the Caribbean where the visitors made a strong statement that they were the force to be reckoned with. Whitewashing the West Indies 2-0 in their home conditions, Captain Kohli’s men were off to the ideal start. Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari made sublime centuries while Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma delivered with the ball and helped India seal the series with a comprehensive margin.

 

Humbling the Proteas (October 2019): India began their home season with aplomb, starting with dominating test series wins against South Africa and Bangladesh. In an almost fairy tale of a series that saw double centuries from Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, India absolutely outclassed South Africa 3-0 in the 4-match series. The series also helped solidify Rohit Sharma as India’s permanent test opener as the white ball veteran smashed 529 runs in 4 innings with 3 centuries to his name.

 

Taming the Tigers (Nov 2019): Being considered the firm favorites in their series against Bangladesh, India comprehensively beat Bangladesh 2-0 and remaining unbeaten in the WTC. Mayank Agarwal starred yet again with a sensational double century in the first game while Virat Kohli’s splendid century in the second game helped India win their first-ever Pink Ball Game and whitewash the Bangladeshi Tigers. India’s pace battery namely: Umesh, Shami and Ishant were vital too, ending the series with an enormous tally of 33 wickets in the 2-match series.

Nightmare in New Zealand (Feb 2020): India received a wake-up call from New Zealand in February 2020 as they were absolutely dominated in the 2-match series. The hosts whitewashed the Indians in the 2-match series while the visitors were left searching for answers. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, India’s batting looked out of line and they could only cross the 200-run margin once in four innings.

 

Breaching the Fortress (Dec-Jan 2020-21): After a humiliating defeat which saw the Indians getting bowled out for just 36 runs at Sydney, India got right back in the fight with a historical win at MCG against Australia, which saw stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane lead his men to the win with a terrific century. Heroics from Vihari and Ashwin; who battled through injuries, helped India avoid an almost certain defeat and keep their chances alive in the Adelaide Test. The Gabba Test Match was a story in itself. India found new heroes in Sundar and Thakur who chipped in with the bat and got crucial dismissals as well while commendable efforts from Gill, Siraj, Pujara and Pant on the field helped India retain the BG Trophy and win the series 2-1 in a match that perfectly defines the new generation of India.

 

Dominating the Englishmen (Feb 2021): Joe Root’s double century in the first test helped the visitors overpower the Indians by a staggering 227-run win. India bounced right back after the initial setback and won the next three matches; totally outclassing the opposition and confirming their tickets for the WTC Finals. Centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ravi Ashwin in Chennai helped India level the series whereas the brilliancy in the spin department from Axar Patel and Ashwin in Ahmedabad test matches and the batting masterclass from Rishabh Pant helped India seal the 4-match series 3-1.

Thus ended India’s league run in the World Test Championship. They played 6 series’ comprising 17 matches in total and won 12 of them while losing 4 and drawing just 1 with a win percentage of 70.58%.

 

New Zealand’s Road to WTC Finals:

 

Squaring up with the Lions (July 2019): New Zealand’s Road in the World Test Championship started with a tour of Sri Lanka. Despite losing the first of the two test matches; courtesy of Dimuth Karunaratne’s majestic century, the Kiwis drew the series with an emphatic win in the second test match. Splendid centuries from wicket-keepers BJ Watling and Tom Latham and some fine quality bowling from Southee and Boult helped the Kiwis level the series 1-1.

 

Squashed Down Under (Dec-Jan 2019-20): In what was a series the men in black would like to forget, NZ got absolutely dominated by Australia in the 3-match series. The Kiwis had no answers to the spell-binding bowling shown by the Aussie pace attack as NZ lost all three test matches with a margin of over 200 runs. Niel Wagner’s 17 wickets in the 3 The match was the only positive thing to come out of the series for New Zealand as they looked to turn the tide in the future.

 

Shocking the System (Feb 2020): After a forgettable tour of Australia, things took a pleasant turn for New Zealand with a 2-0 home series win over India. Jamieson, Boult, and Southee collectively picked 34 off the 40 wickets and didn’t let the Indian batsmen cross the 250-run margin even once. The emphatic series win made sure that New Zealand was very much alive in the World Test Championship.

Dominating the Windies (Jan 2021): After a 9-month break from test cricket due to the ongoing pandemic, cricket resumed in New Zealand with a 2-match series against the West Indies at home. Kane Williamson’s career-best score of 251 helped the Kiwis gain the upper hand in the series with a dominant win in Hamilton while Henry Nicholls’ glorious innings of174 in the second test in Wellington helped New Zealand whitewash the Caribbeans. The fast-bowling trio of Southee, Boult, and Jamieson took 28 off the 38 wickets as NZ comprehensively beat WI by an innings in both the test matches.

 

Perfection vs Pakistan (Jan-Feb 2021): In what is considered the most dramatic test match in the entirety of the WTC, New Zealand beat Pakistan by a 101-runs with just 3 balls to spare on Day 5. Kane Williamson’s golden form continued as the skipper scored back-to-back centuries in both the games, including a double hundred in the second game. Jamieson’s 11 wickets in the 2^nd test fueled New Zealand’s victory as the Men in Black became the first team to qualify for the WTC Finals.

 

New Zealand will surely be on a high, on the back of a dominant and undefeated home run. The Kiwis played a total of 11 Test Matches in the WTC and won 7 of them while losing only 4 and ending up with a win percentage of 70%.

The World Test Championship Finals promises to be a showcase for the ages where world-class talents from both nations will step in the field with the hopes of etching their names in the history books and live forever in everlasting glory.