The World Test Championship will be back after the half-done IPL and all the international fixtures going around. After fighting with 8 other teams, India and New Zealand have found their place in the WTC Final. The New Zealand team was at the top of the table after the league round of the World Test Championship. India's place was confirmed after their home series against England. As both teams are going to face each other for the first-ever WTC final, we bring you all the stats, records of all the players from both teams.
When is the World Test Championship Final?
The World Test Championship Final will be held on from 18th June to 22nd June 2021. Initially, the final was scheduled to be played at the Lord's Cricket Stadium. But due to Covid-19 and bio bubble requirements, the WTC Final will now be played at the Southhampton Cricket Ground.
New Zealand's journey to the WTC Final
New Zealand team lead by Kane Williamson had to face some tough opponents in their journey to the WTC Final. However, their excellent home record ensured the Black Caps makes it to the final. New Zealand was the first team to qualify for the World Test Championship Final.
But, the journey was not great from the start.
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand (1-1)
They started off their journey with a draw against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. They managed key 50% in the WTC Points Table.
Australia vs New Zealand (3-0)
This time Kane could not ensure any points from a terrifying tour to down under. They were not only beaten but also humiliated by the much stronger Australian side. The hope of making it to the final started looking impossible after that huge defeat.
Then there came the home series for them.
New Zealand vs India (2-0)
India always struggled against the black caps in New Zealand. Therefore, it was Kane's biggest chance to get back to the competition of the Test Championship. They beat India 2-0 to grab full points from the series.
New Zealand vs West Indies (2-0)
They looked confident after their huge win against India. Therefore, the West Indies challenge seemed to be much easier for them. Kane's team beat the West Indies team 2-0 to go up the ladder in the World Test Championship table.
But till that position, the road to final was not ensured yet for them. However, as the South Africa vs Australia Test series got cancelled, they only needed to make sure they beat the Pakistani team in their home series.
New Zealand vs Pakistan (2-0)
To get to the top of the table they needed to beat the Pakistan team. A power-packed performance from the captain himself and young pacer Jamieson made sure they beat the Pakistani team 2-0 to got the top of the Test Championship table.
But, they had to wait till the Australia-India series to be the first team to qualify for the WTC Final.
India's journey to the WTC Final
India looked comfortable in the World Test Championship Table until the change in the points table were done by the ICC lead by Anil Kumble.
West Indies vs India (0-2)
India started off their campaign with an away test series win against the West Indies team. Rahane and Bihari lead from the front with the bat. While it was Bumrah and Ishant Sharma with the ball who made some major contributions.
India vs South Africa (3-0)
With the spin attack India has, they are quite a tough opponent to beat at their home. South Africa toured India for some away points. However, Kohli lead India made sure they get 100% of the points from the series with a 3-0 win over them. Kohli, Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma all struck double tons in their batting-friendly conditions in India.
India vs Bangladesh (2-0)
Bangladesh was hopeful to give better competition to India with their better spin attack. But, the plans never took place on the ground. India beat them comprehensively with a 2-0 margin where India also played their first-ever pink test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Then came the away series and some tougher opponnets.
New Zealand vs India (2-0)
India was beaten by a better opponent in New Zealand. They could not get better of the bowlers like Kylie Jamieson and Tim Southee. Though there was some fight from the bowlers, that was not enough for them to maintain their 100% win records in the World Test Championship.
Australia vs India (1-2)
Then came the best series of the summer, the underdog story. After the loss in the first match and without captain Kohli on the duty, Australia looked the team to dominate. But, that was not to be the case. Ajinkya Rahane lead team India to a historic series win over Australia. Rishabh Pant was the star of the series along with brilliance from everyone from the bench.
India vs England (3-1)
After the Australia series, the equation was India needed to win at least 2 matches of the series to qualify for the WTC Final. After the loss in the first match, they were down again. Joe Root looked invincible with the bat. But heroics from Axar Patel and Ashwin made sure India win the series with a margin of 3-1 and qualify for the final in June.
India squad for the WTC Final & England tour
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).
Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
New Zealand squad for the WTC Final & England tour
Kane Williamson (c), Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Tom Blundell, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling (wk), Tom Latham, Daryll Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Doug Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Will Young.
India vs NZ in ICC Tournaments since 1990
Matches played - 10
Won by India - 1
Won by NZ - 9
NZ always bring their best performance against India in ICC Tournaments.
WTC Final: Indian Player's stats, records against NZ, in Eng and in WTC
Let's discuss stats and records of every Indian player against New Zealand, in England, and in WTC.
Stats credits- Suman Biswas.
#1 Virat Kohli
Till now Kohli has a good record against New Zealand. However, his England record looks average just because of his horrible series in 2014. Kohli managed to score 877 runs at an average of 43.85 in the World Test Championship.
Read Also: Top 5 Most runs at Number 3 in ODIs: Kohli Crosses 10000 runs at number 3
#2 Ajinkya Rahane
The vice-captain of India had some tough times in recent years. He has been on and off form and lacking some consistency with the bat. Though, his prolific record against the New Zealand team will give him some confidence. He has scored 600 runs at an average of 50.00 against the Black Caps team.
#3 Cheteshwar Pujara
The new wall of Indian team has played some major roles in the success of Indian team. However, the runs does not show his efforts and fight. Pujara has faced more balls than anyone in the World Test Championship.
#4 Rohit Sharma
Rohit is having a wonderful time in the World Test Championship. After he was promoted to the top of the order, he has looked the best. Till now he has scored more than 1000 runs at an average of 64.37
Read Also: IPL Records: 13 players who have played in every season of IPL from 2008
#5 Rishabh Pant
2021 has been great for the wicket-keeper batsman, Pant. With Saha failing with bat, Pant was given the chance. He made most out of it and emerged as the most important player in the Tests for India. He was the main player in India's comeback against Australia and England.
#6 KL Rahul
Rahul has not fired in the limited chances he got. With the rise of Gill and Agarwal,he has found it hard to get more games to proves himself in the test arena for India.
#7 Mayank Agarwal
Agarwal has not played any match in England. He has his shared bit of performance in the WTC. In 12 matches he has managed to score 857 runs at an average of 42.85.
#8 Shubman Gill
Gill showed his class in the Australia tour. However, his failure against the England team at home might bring in Agarwal and Rahul for the spot at the top with Rohit Sharma.
#9 Hanuma Bihari
Bihari batted with a injured hand to save a heroic Sydney Test. But, it will tough for him get into the middle order, if India opts for more all-rounders in the team.
#10 Wriddhiman Saha
Saha had his success against the New Zealand in the home series. He averages 112 with the bat against the black caps. Though, due to lack of his batting performances, Pant came into the team to replace him.
#11 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin was always criticized for his bowling performance outside Asia. However, his recent record out side SENA countries made him one of the successful spinner in the world. In WTC he has taken 67 wickets and scored valuable 295 runs.
Read Also: 9 most successful Indian Captains in ODIs
#12 Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah in his young test career has already shown how he can be lethal with both the new and old ball. In World Test Championship, he has taken 34 wickets at an average of 22.41
Read Also: Top 4: Most wickets in T20I for India – Chahal at the top
#13 Mohammed Shami
Shami also got injured in the Australian series. But till that time, he had taken 36 wickets at a bowling average of 19.77. He would be rearing to don that white jersey for India after a successful IPL.
#14 Ishant Sharma
The senior most Indian pacer got better with age. He has the best average among the Indian pacers in Test Championship. Ishant also has an outstanding record against the New Zealand team taking 35 wickets in only 7 matches.
#15 Umesh Yadav
Umesh, who is another senior bowler in the team, looks lethal when the wicket is flat. With some extra pace, he has taken 29 wickets in WTC at a bowling average of 18.55. However, he will have to fight for his place in the WTC Final.
#16 Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja has been the most improved cricketer in the recent years for India. With the batting consistency he has along with his bowling abilities, he has emerged as the best all-rounder of the team. In 10 matches, he has scored 469 runs and took 28 wickets in WTC.
#17 Washington Sundar
Till now, Sundar has played only 4 tests in his career. In that short period he has impressed everyone with his all-round abilities with bat and ball. He is yet to play in England.
#18 Axar Patel
The left-arm spinner from Gujarat came in to team to replace Ravindra Jadeja, which was said to be a huge task as a debutant. But, Axar showed how to take wickets and responsibilities in the home series against England.
#19 Mohammed Siraj
Players like Siraj shows how good India's bench strength is. Siraj who debuted in Austraila has taken 16 wickets at an average of 28.25 till now.
#20 Shardul Thakur
The pacer from Mumbai has shown his capabilities with the bat as well in the lower order. He had his contributions in Team India's win in the 4th test against Australia. He took 7 wickets in the match and also score valuable 69 runs down the order as well.
To check every New Zealand player's stats and records head on to second page please.
WTC Final: New Zealand Player's stats, records against IND, in Eng and in WTC
Let's discuss stats and records of every New Zealand player against India, in England, and in WTC.
#1 Kane Williamson
The Kiwi captain has been in great touch and considered as one of the best in business when it comes to test cricket. However, all of his great scores has been in home conditions. Kane has a decent record in England with only 247 runs in 04 matches at an average of 30.87
#2 BJ Watling
The wicket-keeper batsman has already announced that he will retire after this series and WTC Final. He has a phenomenal record in England with a batting average of 56.08
#3 Ross Taylor
The senior-most batsman in the New Zealand team will bring some experience to the team. Till now in his career, Ross scored 812 runs against India at an average of 33.83
Read Also: Top 9 cricketers from the Indian U-19 cricket team who represented India
#4 Tom Latham
Tom has been prolific for the New Zealand team at the top of the order. Latham has scored 680 runs at average of 40 in 11 matches in the Test Championship.
#5 Will Young
Will has played only two tests till now. Both the tests were in New Zealand. He will be touring to England as a future prospect of the team.
#6 Colin de Grandhomme
Colin de Grandhomme has been very effective in the conditions that suits him. In WTC he scored 300 runs and also taken 11 wickets till now. He can be very effective in the English conditions.
Read Also: The Cricket Story: BCCI and Differently-abled Cricket Council Of India
#7 Trent Boult
Boult has been the go to bowler with the new ball for Kane and New Zealand. With cloudy and bowling friendly pitches he can be as lethal as one can be. Along with that Boult has a great record against India as well taking 36 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 29.52
#8 Tim Southee
With Boult, Southee has made the best new ball partnership in test cricket's recent history. Till now Southee has taken 51 wickets in just 10 matches in the World Test Championship.
#9 Mitch Santner
Due to pace friendly conditions at home, Santner has played less matches. But, with the all-round skill he has he can be a great prospect for the New Zealand team in WTC Final.
#10 Daryl Mithcell
Though he has only started his test career, he is said to be very promising player for the Kiwis. With already a century against his name in the Test Championship, he will certainly be hopeful to get a place in the team ahead of WTC Final.
#11 Kyle Jamieson
Jamieson had a great start to his test career. Though, all of his test has been in the home condition, he has been in excellent both with bat and ball. He has already taken 36 wickets and scored 226 runs in the Test Championship.
#12 Neil Wagner
Wagner is a very underrated cricketer. He is been the go-to man for Kane whenever the chips are down for them. His ability to ball over after over with the same effort makes him a force to recon in the team. In his 5 test matches against India, he has taken 18 wickets at an average of 28.05
#13 Matt Henry
Matt Hnery is known for his pace. He can bowl up to 150+ kmph and idolizes Shane Bond. However, Matt has not been able to make great mark in test cricket. But still with his pace it is only time that he produces great performances for New Zealand.
#14 Doug Bracewell
Doug Bracewell has been in and around the New Zealand for a decade now. But due to lack of consistent performance he has never been a constant in the team.
#15 Ajaz Patel
Ajaz is a left-arm orthodox spinner who relies on flight and spin from the pitch to trap the batters. In the test championship he has taken 9 wickets with an average of 29.66
#16 Tom Bundell
Blundell, who has not played a single test in England will be one of the middle order batsman for New Zealand in WTC Final. Tom has scored 402 runs in the Test Championship at an average of 33.5
#17 Henry Nicholls
Nicholls does not have a great record against India. But, his recent form in the World Test Championship will make him confident enough to do well for his team. He averages 41.78 with the bat in the WTC.
Except these 17 players, there are three more players who is still to debut in test cricket. They are Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway and Jacob Duffy.
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