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India will take on New Zealand in the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, starting on Friday.
Following their 3-1 series triumph over England at home earlier this year, India finished atop the WTC points table. Virat Kohli's men recorded 72.2 percentage points, thereby booking a date with Kane Williamson's formidable Kiwi side (70 percentage points) in the WTC final.
Both sides are filled with bonafide superstars which makes for interesting player battles. On that note, let's take a look at some of the key player matchups that could take place during the summit clash.
#1 Virat Kohli vs Tim Southee
It's a battle between arguably the world's finest batsmen and one of the most versatile bowlers in recent times.
Tim Southee had a good outing with the ball in the recently concluded series against England. Kohli, on the other hand, has scored two tons and four fifties with a high score of 254* in the WTC cycle.
Even though Kohli has had a rather average outing in the league phase by his own standards, he still boasts an impeccable Test record with 7490 runs from 91 matches at an average of 52.37. He also has 27 centuries and 25 fifties to his name.
Southee, who has dismissed Kohli thrice in Tests, will be eager to once again get the better of the Indian skipper in the final.
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin vs Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson has been dismissed five times by Ravichandran Ashwin in Tests and the off-spinner will be hoping to improve the record when the duo meet at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
Ashwin is the second spinner after Pragyan Ojha to have dismissed Williamson that many times in the longest format. While the Kiwi skipper notched up 817 runs in the WTC league phase at an average of 58.35, Ashwin is India's leading wicket-taker with 67 scalps to his name.
He needs four more dismissals to top the wicket-taking charts in the WTC.
#3 Rohit Sharma vs Trent Boult
The pair may have shared the Mumbai Indians' dressing room in the IPL, but Trent Boult will be eager to send his franchise skipper back to the pavilion in the WTC final.
Boult's performance in the second Test against England helped the Kiwis win a Test series on English soil for the first time in 22 years. In the process, he also sent a message that he is ready to take on India's formidable batting unit.
Rohit, who has a tendency to be deceived by swing bowling, tends to swipe at deliveries that go away from his body. Known for struggling with his footwork early on in the innings, the Indian opener could be troubled by Boult's ability to cramp batsmen for room.
Will he be able to zap away Boult's thunderbolts? Only time will tell.
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