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Arguably the two best Test teams in India and New Zealand have reached World Test Championship (WTC) final that is set to be played from June 18-22 in England. The two teams have dominated their opposition in different conditions throughout the WTC cycle and deserve to feature in the showpiece event.
The Indian team has had a reputation for not being the best travelers in the past. However, the team has certainly turned things around under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. The 32-year-old bolstered the Indian fast bowling attack through a fitness revolution that has gone a long way in making India a force overseas.
5 players key to India's chances of winning WTC Final
Earlier, wins over West Indies, Bangladesh and South Africa put India in pole position to make it to the WTC final. However, after a series whitewash away to New Zealand, they had to work hard to beat Australia in their own den and England at home to secure the finals berth.
A number of stars emerged for Kohli's men in this WTC cycle who raised their hands during different crunch situations and pulled their team out of trouble. Let's look at five such players who will be crucial to India's chances of beating New Zealand in the WTC Final.
#5 Ravindra Jadeja
The rise of Ravindra Jadeja as a genuine all-rounder in Test cricket has been meteoric to say the least. The all-rounder has been a crucial part of the spin duo with Ravichandran Ashwin in home conditions. However, away from home, his batting has improved in leaps and bounds over the past couple of years.
Jadeja is closing in on 2000 Test runs for India, having played 51 games and has a pretty healthy average of 36.18. His all-round performances Down Under helped India win the MCG Test and draw the third Test at the SCG, which played a huge role in them winning the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Jadeja's ability to bat gives India a unique balance through which they can afford to play both him and Ashwin along with three other quicks, making it five bowling options. The southpaw also averages a brilliant 47.20 against New Zealand with the bat, something which will give him confidence ahead of the WTC final.
Having been away from international cricket for a while, it might be a real test of character for Jadeja to get back into form for India. However, given his quality and match-winning ability in all three departments, he remains one of the biggest potential match-winners for India in red-ball cricket.
#4 Jasprit Bumrah
There is absolutely no doubt that Jasprit Bumrah has developed into one of the best bowlers in the world across all three formats. His pace, accuracy and unorthodox action make him one of the most difficult pacers to face among the current crop.
In just 19 Tests, Bumrah has an incredible 83 wickets at an outstanding average of 22.10. He has played just two Tests against New Zealand, picking up six wickets. However, he has played three games in England where he has picked up 14 wickets, including a fifer.
Bumrah came of age in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he was the leader of the pace attack for the first three Tests in the absence of Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. With the deadly trio likely to reunite for the WTC final, India will surely have their hopes high on beating the Kiwis in foreign conditions.
#3 Virat Kohli
Arguably one of the finest batsmen across all three formats to ever play the game, Virat Kohli will be one of India's biggest hopes in the WTC final. The Indian skipper has been going through an incredibly unusual lean patch according to his lofty standards.
Kohli scored his last international century in India's historic pink-ball Test against Bangladesh in November 2019. Ever since, the 32-year-old hasn't looked flawless in most of his international innings.
The Indian captain also had his fair share of struggles against the swinging ball in England. However, he did bounce back strongly in India's last tour, slamming a couple of centuries. After averaging 53.27 in Tests, Kohli is determined to lead by example in yet another ICC final that he will be a part of.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has been one of the most improved batsmen in the Indian Test team over the past couple of years. Having already established himself as one of the all-time greats in white-ball cricket, Rohit wasn't quite able to replicate similar success in Test cricket.
However, things changed for the 34-year-old in 2019 when he was asked to open the innings for India in their home series against South Africa and Bangladesh. In five Tests, Rohit smashed an unbelievable 556 runs at a stupendous average of 92.66 with three centuries including a double hundred.
He once again silenced critics by performing well as an opener in overseas conditions. He scored a couple of half-centuries in four innings Down Under earlier this year, helping India to a historic series win. Many believe that playing a quality seam attack like New Zealand in English conditions will be Rohit's biggest test.
Although the 34-year-old has seemed vulnerable to swing bowling in the past, Rohit has all the class and talent in the world to prove that he can be a huge success in English conditions too. He is main players India will rely on to deliver in the WTC final.
#1 Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant's rise over the past year has been nothing short of astonishing and he is now India's X-factor in the WTC final. The 23-year-old came of age in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, proving his worth as a batsman along with his wicket-keeping.
His multiple match-defining knocks helped India become the first team to hand the Aussies back-to-back series defeats in their own backyard. Pant has had an incredible 2021 with the bat so far. In just six Tests, the southpaw has scored 515 runs at an outstanding average of 64.37.
Another huge positive for India is that Pant's wicketkeeping has improved exponentially in the last few months. His batting ability gives India the luxury of playing with an extra bowler too. Pant also has a Test hundred in English conditions and he could well be the main man for India in this epic finale.
