WTC Final: Was the IPL pause a much-needed respite for India's bowlers?

While news of the UAE hosting IPL 2021's second phase does the rounds, expert opinions suggest the pause will help India ahead of their World Test Championship (WTC) tussle against New Zealand squad for WTC final and the England tour that follows soon after.

Former New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor felt the pause was a blessing in disguise for India squad for WTC final ahead of the Test championship skirmish.

"For India, IPL finishing early under unfortunate circumstances has probably played into their hands a little. If IPL would have gone on they would have had a smaller preparation but now they will be a lot more conditioned, their bowlers will have their loads up."

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Reading Taylor's thoughts: Does IPL pause actually help bowlers ahead of the WTC?

Taylor nailed the theory when he spoke primarily about the bowlers. The attack, comprising of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Umesh Yadav, has seen some of them be an active part of the IPL for their respective franchises.

Load management will be one of the bigger challenges considering there are a total of six Tests that will be played in challenging English conditions. Should India win the WTC, they will head into the England Tests with the pressure to perform consistently against Joe Root & co.

With the IPL now postponed, the players get a short but useful off-season that can help them rest and prepare for their grueling tour.

The other advantage that India have is the time to adapt to the conditions. Switching from the shorter format means making adjustments to their bowling to Test lines and lengths.

The break will make the transition smoother as they face a stern Kiwi challenge in the WTC final. While Bumrah, Sharma, Shami and Yadav have all been experienced campaigners, an injury breakdown to any of these quicks would mean bringing in Siraj or Thakur who have played less than ten Tests between them into the fray.

Check the World Test Championship final live score by clicking here.

The downtime helps the duo with recovery and to gear up for conditions in England.

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India’s squad for WTC and England tour: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper; subject to fitness clearance).