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India's road to the World Test Championship (WTC) final has been full of challenges that have tested their bench strength and mental toughness to the limit. But Virat Kohli and his men came up stronger and successfully made it to the WTC final to be held in England on June 18-22.
The change in the points system due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw India face an uphill battle to qualify for the final, despite being at the top of the table. They had to beat Australia in their own den and then England at home to book their ticket for the showpiece event.
Injury woes, batting collapses, tough situations, etc. couldn't stop this talented Indian team from fulfilling the scenarios and setting up a summit clash with New Zealand. Arguably the two best Test teams at the moment will go head to head and it promises to be an enthralling finale.
3 reasons why India can emerge victorious in WTC Final
Conditions in New Zealand are similar to that in England, something that will certainly help the Blackcaps. Moreover, Kane Williamson and his men will play a two-match Test series against England just before the WTC final. This could prove to be an added advantage for the Kiwis.
However, India have shown in the recent past that they can bring their A game to the table, against all odds. Here are three reasons why they can be the first-ever winners of WTC.
#3 Great depth in pace attack
Before the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India had a potent pace attack in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma who had done well overseas over the past couple of years.
However, as far as the depth of the pace battery was concerned, there weren't many other players who were proven in tough situations. Players like Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had not played enough red-ball cricket to suggest they would be as effective as the first-choice pace trio.
But in the Test series Down Under, when nearly the entire Indian first-choice pace attack was injured, some fresh faces took it upon themselves to prove their mettle and came out with flying colors.
Mohammed Siraj picked up 13 wickets in the series, finishing as India's highest wicket-taker. Shardul Thakur showed his all-round skills in the Gabba Test, picking up 7 wickets in the game and also scoring a fantastic 67 in the first innings.
With such solid performances, the Indian team management have a pleasant headache in choosing their three pacers for the final. The squad has a number of match-winning options, both experienced and young, available.
#2 Rohit Sharma's impact as opener
Rohit Sharma is arguably one of the best white-ball batsmen India has ever produced. However, due to a variety of reasons, the 34-year-old had to wait for a long time to dominate in Test cricket.
After a number of chances in the middle-order, India backed Rohit to fire at the top of the order in red-ball cricket. Despite many criticizing his technique against the new ball, the right-hander made a fantastic start to life as a Test opener.
Rohit scored an unbelievable 556 runs at a stupendous average of 92.66 including 2 centuries and a double-century in the home Tests against South Africa and Bangladesh. He also proved to be a good opener in overseas conditions, with two fifties in four innings Down Under.
Rohit could certainly face a tough test against the Kiwi speedsters in conditions conducive to swing bowling. However, the veteran Indian opener has already scored over a thousand runs in the WTC and will be one of India's main batsmen against New Zealand.
#1 Rishabh Pant - The 'X - Factor'
Rishabh Pant has arguably been India's most improved Test batsman over the past six months. The youngster had lost his place in India's white-ball side Down Under, but his performance in Tests was simply extraordinary.
He played multiple match-defining knocks in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and helped India end Australia's 32-year-old dominance at the Gabba. He also had a magnificent impact in the home series against England, scoring his maiden Test hundred on home soil.
Pant's batting ability gives India the option of going in with five bowling options, something which adds incredible balance to their sides. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin might both feature in the playing XI thanks to the maturity that the 23-year-old has shown with the bat so far.
If Pant gets going, he can take the game away from the opposition and put India in the driver's seat to win the WTC irrespective of potentially difficult batting conditions.
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