The WTC 2021 Final is almost upon us and to mark the moment, we have compiled the India VS New Zealand preview, the final XI prediction, the weather conditions and the journey of both the teams to the final.
Fans of cricket have cleared their schedules to make time for the greatest Test encounter the game has seen in years. In the most excruciating format of the game, Virat Kohli’s India and Kane Williamson’s New Zealand have emerged as the finalists. The stakes are high as both the teams are eying to play for the world title in Test cricket.
India’s road to WTC Final
Team India began its campaign triumphantly by dominating West Indies in their homeland and giving them a 2-0 defeat. The team continued its form and later in 2019, the team handed another series defeat to Bangladesh 2-0. It was the first day & night Test ever played in India and the crowds loved India continuing its dominating run.
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However, the team was jolted by a series defeat by the future WTC finalist, New Zealand. The Kiwis completely thrashed team India and defeated it 2-0. However, India bounced back in style in the Border-Gavaskar trophy and made history in Australia by defeating the team Down Under by 2-1.
In the final series, team India continued its dominating run and defeated England 3-1 at home.
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New Zealand’s Road to WTC final
The Kiwis started its journey on an interesting note, drawing the 2-Test series by 1-1. Further, the Kiwis were rattled by Aussies in the latter’s home by being served a defeat 3-0 in a 3-Test series. However, New Zealand bounced back and defeated India in New Zealand 2-0.
It continued tis run and wrote another comprehensive victory of 2-0 against West Indies. In its last Test, the team managed to defeat Pakistan 2-0.
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WTC Final: Predicted Final XI for both teams
Predicted XI for India
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma.
Predicted XI for New Zealand
Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (WK), Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, Ajaz Patel.
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WTC Final, Ind VS NZ Frequently Answered Questions
1. When and where will the WTC final take place?
The game will be played at Southampton from June 18-22, 2021 with a 1-day reserve. The game will begin from 3:30 PM IST
2. Where to catch the final on TV?
On television, the game will be telecasted on the usual suspects, I.e., Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports HD Hindi.
3. Which streaming platform will air the final?
The final will also be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar.
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Weather Conditions at the WTC Final Venue
It doesn’t take an ardent insight into the world of cricket to know that rains and England grounds have a long lasting, never-ending relationship. Then how would the World Test Championship be an exception.
For the entire course of 5-days, overcast skies are expected. On the first day, dark clouds will loom over the sky but there’s a strong possibility that rains will not stop a major chunk of the day. The conditions will be slightly better on the second day, with occasional gusts of wind helping with the bowl swing.
The third day will be worst of the lot, with forecast claiming a major chunk of the day to be washed out. The second-to-last day will be better with cloudy skies and the fifth day will again see some rain.
