ICC test championship which started in July 2019, is all set to witness the mega final from June 18-22. India and New Zealand would clash in the championship decider match. The final will be played at the Rose Bowl cricket stadium in Southampton, England. Let us try to figure out which team has the upper hand in this final.
Who Will Win ICC World Test Championship 2021 ?
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Batting order comparison
India looks strong with their star-studded batting lineup. Rohit Sharma, Rishabh pant has been in excellent form. Virat Kohli also showed signs of a return of form against England in the recently concluded test series. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane provide solid stability to the middle order.
If we look at the batting order of New Zealand, they lack experience. If we remove Kane Williamson and Ros Taylor, the New Zealand batting order looks a bit dull.
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Key players in the batting department from India– Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara.
Key players in the batting department from New Zealand– Kane Williamson, Ros Taylor, Tom Lathom, Colin de Grandhomme
Bowling order comparison
The New Zealand bowling unit with players like Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson is very lethal. These fast bowlers have a good experience playing in English conditions. On the other hand, the Indian pace bowling unit looks a little vulnerable due to injury. Bumrah and Ishant Sharma have recovered from injuries, but their performance post-injury has been average. New Zealand pace bowlers have more experience playing with duke ball which would make them better placed as a bowling unit.
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Key players in the bowling department from India– Jaspreet Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Md Shami
Key players in the bowling department from New Zealand– Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner.
Conditions and pre-match preparation
The New Zealand team has already landed in England ahead of 2 match test series followed by the ICC test championship final. This will be an added advantage to them. The 2 test match series against England will help them to gain match practice along with adjusting to the environment. On the other hand, India will leave for England on 2nd June. After they reach England, they will have to undergo 14 days of hard quarantine. This will result in a lack of match practice for team India.
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ICC World Test Championship Final 2021 Venue – Southampton (RoseBowl)
Overall match prediction
We cannot predict an outright winner at this point. The team that can handle the pressure and applies better tactics, will come out with flying colors and win this inaugural ICC test championship final.
What happens if the match ends in a draw or is washed out or it ends in a tie ?
In that condition, the two teams will share the trophy. ICC has reserved a day – June 23 the final Test. But they are yet to release the final match guidelines. BCCI has requested ICC to update both the teams with this match circumstances. It is expected that ICC would come up with clear guidelines very soon.
