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New Zealand made history on Wednesday (June 23) as they became the first nation to win the WTC final. The Blackcaps beat India in the summit clash to capture the ICC World Test Championship title.
It was a complete team effort from the Kiwis in Southampton. Every player in the XI played his respective role to perfection in the WTC Final. Ultimately, it was a 96-run partnership between captain Kane Williamson and seasoned pro Ross Taylor that helped New Zealand chase down India's 139-run target for the win.
The historic WTC Final lasted for six days. Here's a look at some interesting stats that emerged after the final day of this epic match.
1. New Zealand win their first ICC trophy in two decades
The last time New Zealand won an ICC trophy was back in 2000. Incidentally, the Blackcaps defeated the Indian cricket team to win the ICC Knockout Trophy 2000-01 in Nairobi.
Nearly 21 years later, the Kiwis have won their first World Test Championship. They defeated India, Pakistan and West Indies at home to qualify for the final. In the summit clash, they beat India once again to seize the trophy.
2. Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to lose an ICC tournament final in two different formats
This was the fifth time the Indian cricket team lost the summit clash of an ICC tournament. The last time India lost an ICC final was the 2017 50-over Champions Trophy Final against Pakistan, when Virat Kohli was the team's skipper.
Playing under Kohli's leadership, India have now lost another ICC tournament final, this time to New Zealand in the Test format. Hence, Kohli has become the first Indian captain in cricket history to lose ICC tournament finals in two different formats.
3. Ravichandran Ashwin became the highest wicket-taker in World Test Championship
Ravichandran Ashwin was the only Indian bowler to take a wicket in the final innings of the WTC Final. The Tamil Nadu-based off-spinner dismissed both Kiwi openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham in the second innings.
After picking up Conway's wicket, Ashwin became the leading wicket-taker in the World Test Championship. He overtook Australia's Pat Cummins (70 wickets) and ended the competition with 71 wickets to his name.
4. Jasprit Bumrah recorded the 1000th Test duck for India during the WTC Final
Jasprit Bumrah could not get going in the WTC Final. He remained wicketless in both innings and failed to score a run with the bat in two innings.
The Indian pacer recorded the 999th duck by an Indian Test player during the first innings of the WTC Final. Tim Southee dismissed Bumrah on the fourth delivery of his second innings before he could open his account as the tail-ender scored the 1000th duck for India in Tests.
5. Seven tournaments, seven different champions
While many fans feel that international cricket is not as competitive as before, an interesting statistic emerged after the WTC Final. Not a single team has been able to win two ICC events since India's Champions Trophy win in 2013.
In the last seven events, there have been seven different champions. India, West Indies, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, England and New Zealand have each won a title. Besides, Bangladesh won the ICC U-19 World Cup 2020. Thus, it would be wrong to say that international cricket is dominated by two or three teams only.
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