New Zealand wins the first-ever WTC that took place in the now famous Ageas Bowl, the original bio-certain site of a cricket that saved the ECB's bacon unequivocally in the summer of 2020, and has shown the wider cricketing world how to ensure that the show can continue in these times.
The strength of New Zealand's bowling unit, in which each player has a distinct role to perform, has always been the key to their success. While Tim Southee and Trent Boult contribute experience, Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson deliver pace and skill with consistency.
India were already been wiped out for 170 runs in 73 overs earlier, with Rishabh Pant gaining ground with 41 runs. Apart from Pant, no one in the Indian batting order could go over the 20-run mark, owing to a certain outstanding bowling from New Zealand. In what can only be characterized as an awful display by Indian batters on a decent batting surface, the going never got any easier for the Indian batsmen. New Zealand bowlers got off to a rocky opening on Day 6, with Kyle Jamieson dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. Trent Boult also bagged three wickets, while Tim Southee bagged two.
Jamieson has been particularly dangerous in his first six Tests, taking 36 wickets and producing alarming speed and bounce from the wicket. Henry was equally brilliant in the second Test, taking six wickets and unsettling the batters outside the off-stump.
It was the first time since the Lord's Test in 2018 that no Indian batsman failed to reach the half-century mark in an innings. Between these two matches, India played 26 Tests. This is the fourth time in a Test match against India that New Zealand pacers have taken all 20 wickets. Wellington (2002) was the first city to do so, followed by Hamilton (2002), Auckland (2014), and Southampton (2021*).
Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, is one of the few captains in the world to dismiss the Indian side for less than 250 runs in six consecutive innings, a testament to his exceptional cricketing intelligence and near-perfect bowling performance.
Just ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, the Edgbaston Test was won by New Zealand by an eight-wicket margin, giving them their first series win in England since 1999. As a consequence, the Kiwis had already risen to the top of the ICC Test rankings, overtaking the hosts. While England's tactics were all over the place, the Black Caps nevertheless won and sent an indirect strong message to India.
IND Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
NZ Playing XI: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling(w), Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult
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