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The Inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final ended with the New Zealand team, led by Kane Williamson, emerging victorious. The loss in the final ended the dreams of Virat Kohli's men and a billion Indian fans.
The summit clash, which was severely hit by rain, saw a fierce battle between the top two ranked Test teams, with the experienced duo of Williamson and Ross Taylor ultimately taking the Kiwis home.
The WTC final saw some brilliant spells of bowling from Neil Wagner, Kyle Jamieson, Trent Boult and Ishant Sharma. On the batting front, Taylor shone in the fourth innings, with Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane looking good in patches in India's first innings.
On that note, let's look at the five biggest performers from the WTC final.
#1Kyle Jamieson
Kyle Jamieson, who has been the best New Zealand bowler since making his international debut against India last year, didn't disappoint in the WTC final. He dismissed Virat Kohli in both innings and picked up a fifer in the first. Jamieson's quickfire 21 runs also helped New Zealand take a precious 32-run first-innings lead. He looked the most dangerous bowler from both sides in the final and deservingly won the Player of the Match award.
#2 Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami was the only Indian bowler to constantly question the Kiwi batsmen with his line, length and the swing that he got both ways. He picked up four wickets in the first innings, restricting New Zealand's lead to only 32 runs. Things might have been different had Shami gotten help from his bowling partners in the WTC final.
#3 Kane Williamson
The Kiwi skipper stepped up at the biggest event. There were questions about his overseas form and fitness leading into the WTC final, but he played a crucial knock of 49 runs in the first innings and remained unbeaten on 52 in the second to see his team through. Kane Williamson was brilliant with his bowling changes and tactics as well. He was the better captain in the WTC final and deservingly lifted the mace in the end.
#4 Tim Southee
Tim Southee, the most experienced player among the four pacers New Zealand played in the WTC final, was excellent in leading the attack. He produced great spells in both innings, troubling the Indian openers. Southee didn't waste any time in cleaning up the Indian tail in the second innings, thereby restricting New Zealand's target to just 139 runs. His 30 runs and partnership with Kyle Jamieson that took the Kiwis past the Indian total in the first innings were also important in the context of the game.
#5 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma was the only Indian batsman to look comfortable at the crease in both innings of the WTC final. Opening the batting for his team in testing conditions, he helped see off the new ball spells by Tim Southee and Trent Boult. His knocks of 34 and 30 will give him a great level of confidence going into the five-Test series against England. Rohit would have hoped to convert one of his two starts into a big score, but it wasn't to be.
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