WTC final: "New Zealand might promote Colin de Grandhomme or Kyle Jamieson to give themselves an opportunity" - Simon Doull

Simon Doull feels New Zealand might look to promote the likes of Colin de Grandhomme and Kyle Jamieson up the order in a bid to win the World Test Championship (WTC) final on the reserve day. However, Doull was quick to add that the Kiwis will not put themselves in a position from where they might lose the Test.

As the summit clash heads into reserve day, all three results are still possible. India currently lead by 32 runs and have eight wickets in hand, with Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease.

Speaking in a clip shared by the ICC on Twitter, Doull suggested that if there's a chance to go for a win, New Zealand will probably grab it by making some aggressive changes in their batting order. The former Kiwi pacer said:

"If New Zealand were given a chance, they would probably throw their hand at it (to win the WTC final). They won't put themselves in a position where they want to lose. But they might promote a De Grandhomme or Jamieson to give themselves an opportunity if there was a small chance of winning. Neither team will want to be in a position where they are going to lose the Test match though."

Colin de Grandhomme and Kyle Jamieson are known for their attacking batting style. The scoring rate in the WTC final has been slow thus far, given the conditions and quality of seam attack on offer.

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"I don't think India are going to put themselves in a position where New Zealand can win" - Simon Doull

That's Stumps on Day 5⃣ of the #WTC21 Final in Southampton! #TeamIndia move to 6⃣4⃣/2⃣ & lead New Zealand by 32 runs. @cheteshwar1 (12*) & captain @imVkohli (8*) will start the proceedings tomorrow. Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/CmrtWscFua pic.twitter.com/RYJ8f1ALOm

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 22, 2021

Simon Doull, meanwhile, suggested that although India might look to score quickly, they are unlikely to declare if they feel New Zealand might have a fighting chance of achieving the target. He added:

"If Virat Kohli bats for a long period of time, he scores quickly. They can then get to a point where they feel comfortable enough to maybe accelerate a little bit and look to push the game forward a bit more. I don't think they are going to put themselves in a position where New Zealand can win. If New Zealand can't win then they have got nothing to play for except a draw and that makes it slightly harder to bat."

It will be interesting to see if the two teams throw caution to the wind on the reserve day or take a pragmatic approach at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. A draw will lead to India and New Zealand being declared as the joint winners of the inaugural World Test Championship.

It’s all to play for on the last day of the #WTC21 Final.@irbishi and @Sdoull preview what’s in store in Southampton.#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/SaCE07eSJA

— ICC (@ICC) June 23, 2021