WTC Final: Predicting the bowling attack of both teams and analyzing how they stack up

As the highly-anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final contested by India and New Zealand from June 18 in Southampton draws closer, various experts and former cricketers have weighed in on the make-up of the two sides.

Both India and New Zealand have trimmed their squad down to 15 for the final, but they still have several options in all departments to choose from.

India's squad for the WTC final: Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj

New Zealand's squad for the WTC final: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling and Will Young

In this article, we analyze who will be part of the bowling attack for India and New Zealand in the WTC final, as well as which side has the better unit on paper.

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India - Bumrah, Shami, Ishant, Ashwin and Jadeja

Australia v India: 3rd Test: Day 2

With Shardul Thakur left out of the final squad for the WTC final, most of India's bowling attack picks itself.

Two spin-bowling all-rounders - Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja - make up the lower-middle order, followed by pace spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. The final spot is the only one that's up for debate, with Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj being the three candidates.

Under normal circumstances, Ishant would be the runaway favorite. But Siraj, who is on the back of a stellar introduction to Test cricket and a fruitful campaign with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, clearly has the faith of captain Virat Kohli. This is a touch-and-go decision that could go either way.

Ishant could hold the edge, simply because he's played in England and against New Zealand before. He is also excellent with the new ball against left-handers, and could form a fearsome partnership with Shami.

Irrespective of who makes the cut, India have a solid bowling attack that can trouble the Blackcaps batsmen consistently over the course of the five days in the WTC final.

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New Zealand - Southee, Boult, Wagner, Jamieson and Patel

England v New Zealand: Day 1 - Second Test LV= Insurance Test Series

Like India, New Zealand have one spot up for grabs in the WTC final. Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner are fixtures in the playing XI, with the final spot being a toss-up between Ajaz Patel, Matt Henry and Colin de Grandhomme.

The Blackcaps may not want to go in without a specialist spinner, with the weather in Southampton reportedly extremely sunny recently. Moreover, India's top-five batsmen are all right-handers, and a left-arm spinning option in Patel could prove to be useful.

De Grandhomme and Henry have done quite well for New Zealand, but they might have to sit this one out. Kane Williamson has an army of bowlers to call upon in any case, and the Indian batsmen will have a steep task on their hands in the WTC final.

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Which team has the better bowling attack in the WTC final?

Australia v India: 3rd Test: Day 4

This is impossible to call. New Zealand and India have extremely similar bowling attacks, and how each bowler adapts to the conditions on offer in Southampton during the WTC final might be the deciding factor.

On paper, the Blackcaps have everything in the pace department. They have two world-class swing bowlers, one of whom is a left-armer, a bouncer master and a tall pacer who can generate prodigious bounce and seam.

On the other hand, India's spinners are leagues above their Kiwi counterparts, with Ashwin and Jadeja forming the most potent spin duo in the world at the moment in Tests. If the pitch in Southampton for the WTC final offers some grip and turn, especially in the later days, Virat Kohli's side may have the edge in the bowling department.

Since the gap between the spinners of India and New Zealand is much bigger than that between the pacers of the two teams, we could probably claim that India have a better all-round bowling attack even though there isn't as much variety in the pace department.

However, if the conditions are overcast in the WTC final, the Blackcaps may run away with the game, especially against an Indian top order that is susceptible to quality swing bowling.