After losing the World Test Championship title, there is a lot of discussion regarding the captaincy of the Indian cricket team.  Captain Virat Kohli had to face fierce criticism after the defeat in the WTC final as there were a few demands to remove him from his captaincy.

Under the leadership of Virat, India has not been able to win a single ICC title so far. However, under Kohli’s captaincy, the national squad has registered many memorable victories.

The big question is, who will be given the command of the Indian team when Virat’s international career gets over, like MS Dhoni.  On this, former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has suggested the name of Rishabh Pant as the future captain of the Indian cricket team.

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“I also see Rishabh as a potential Indian captain in the future. Because he is jumpy, chirpy, and talks around. But I feel he surely has a smart brain as well because I saw him when he was captaining in the IPL for Delhi Capitals. He did an incredible job. So, people should look at him as the next captain of the Indian team in the coming years,” Yuvraj told TimesofIndia.com.

Rishabh Pant led Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021 after Shreyas Iyer had to sit out due to injury. Under Pant’s captaincy Delhi won 6 out of 8 matches and remained at the top of the IPL 2021 Points Table until the tournament was postponed due to rising cases of Covid-19 inside IPL bubble.  

The extra responsibility of captaincy was not at all visible on Pant’s batting as he scored 213 runs including two fifties. BCCI had decided to postpone IPL 2021 on May 4 after several players tested Covid-19 positive.  The remaining 31 matches of the 14th season of the Indian Premier League are to be played in the UAE from September 19.

Auckland: The New Zealand Cricket Board has decided that they will take the World Test Championship Final (WTC Final) winning mace on a week-long nationwide tour of New Zealand later in July. 

This tour is seen as the big celebration of New Zealand winning a major international trophy only for the second time after the 2000 Women’s World Cup triumph. The tour will involve selected New Zealand cricketers and support staff assembling at each of the cities on the route. The tour will reach  Whangarei on Monday, July 26, and then to visit Auckland on 27 July, Tauranga & Hamilton on 28, New Plymouth & Palmerston North on 29 July, Wellington on 30 July, Christchurch on 31 and Dunedin, and Invercargill on 1 August 2021. 

NZC chief executive David White gave more information about the tour. Earlier, it was decided that there will not be any celebrations due to Covid-19, but that decision has changed, it looks like. 

“It’s quickly become apparent that Kiwis want an opportunity to be part of, and to share in this historic achievement,” said White in a release. “We’ve been inundated with requests to do something so that New Zealanders can join in with the team and share the moment. At first, we thought the time-out in managed isolation and the length of time since the win would dampen enthusiasm for a public celebration, but we have been persuaded to think again.”

“This is just as much a chance for our BLACKCAPS to say thank you to New Zealanders as anything else, and for NZC to express its gratitude to the country for creating an environment in which this was even possible,” added David White.

New Zealand’s squad will carry their ICC World Test Championship trophy, the Mace, on a week-long, nationwide tour later this month, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced on Wednesday.

Plans have been drawn up by NZC to start the tour in Whangarei on Monday, July 26, and to visit Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill through the week so members of the public have an opportunity to be photographed with the unique trophy and collect autographs and a team poster.

NZC chief executive David White said that, although parades and other celebration ideas had initially been ruled out because of managed isolation requirements and the fact some players had remained in the United Kingdom, the demand from the public to be included in the celebration had forced a re-think.

“It’s quickly become apparent that Kiwis want an opportunity to be part of, and to share in this historic achievement,” said White in a release. “We’ve been inundated with requests to do something so that New Zealanders can join in with the team and share the moment. At first, we thought the time-out in managed isolation and the length of time since the win would dampen enthusiasm for a public celebration, but we have been persuaded to think again.”

TEAM FIRST. There are 15 players here but 22 players have represented the team during #WTC21.

Astle
Blundell
Boult
Conway
De Grandhomme
Ferguson
Henry
Jamieson
Latham
Mitchell
Nicholls
Patel
Phillips
Raval
Santner
Somerville
Southee
Taylor
Wagner
Watling
Williamson
Young pic.twitter.com/UrqD6uOa5T

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 23, 2021

The Blackcaps and support staff currently in MIQ will be released on Saturday and White said it was essential they were allowed to spend some time with their families and friends before the trophy tour.

Along with the White Ferns’ ICC World Cup triumph in 2000, the Blackcaps’ WTC win is comfortably the biggest achievement in the history of New Zealand cricket and White said it was appropriate that New Zealanders should have the chance to join in on the festivities.

“This is just as much a chance for our BLACKCAPS to say thank you to New Zealanders as anything else, and for NZC to express its gratitude to the country for creating an environment in which this was even possible,” added David White.

The nationwide tour will involve selected Blackcaps and support staff assembling at each of the cities on the route, starting with a small group including Tim Southee at his hometown of Whangarei.

Players involved will also include Will Sommerville, Jeet Raval, and Todd Astle — all of whom were involved in the WTC campaign despite not being in England for the final. The trio will receive their winners’ medals retrospectively. NZC’s intent is to have the Mace on display at every BLACKCAPS home international game this summer.

Southampton: New Zealand were crowned as the first-ever World Test Champions of Test match cricket. India failed to stop the dominant New Zealand side as two stalwarts of New Zealand cricket – Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson – steered their side home. It was a splendid performance by New Zealand. Disappointment for Virat Kohli and the team, surely, but it was a spirited performance by the Indian team.

Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed how he felt after the loss. He said that he was numb after the match and was not able to believe it. 

“I was numb after the match ended, wondering what had happened. Even on the last day, I believed we were in the match. The lbw of Kane Williamson, ball tracker showed the ball was missing. It was unexpected. Match got over and it was upsetting. Obviously fans are disappointed and rightly so. A billion Indians were looking forward to some good news after the lockdown and such stuff. But it did not happen. Fingers crossed. Just hoping we can win some other ICC tournament,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. 

“They were well-deserved winners. They were in the game throughout, constantly swinging the ball. We gave our best shot. The rub of the green didn’t go our way. England is not an easy place to travel and take wickets or score runs instantly. We had a month’s break after the IPL and didn’t play any games. Not giving excuses, we gave out best sho,t but it didn’t happen, and it was disappointing.”

 

 

India’s veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has put his weight behind Virat Kohli after the Indian captain had to cope with heavy criticism for his statement. Kohli had stated that the best of three finals in the World Test Championship would have been better as it gives a chance to the losing team to make a comeback in the next two Test matches.

However, Kohli’s comments were taken in a way that he is trying to steal the credit from New Zealand’s win. Ravichandran Ashwin, who scalped a total of four wickets in the WTC Final, stated that Virat Kohli never demanded three Test matches for the World Test Championship final and only commented what he thinks the next edition of the WTC should have.

“I happened to hear people saying that Virat Kohli asked for three Tests to be played for the WTC Final but it is ridiculous. After the match got over, Michael Atherton had asked what could be done differently in the WTC. Virat replied in a particular context that if three matches are played, then adaptability and come back for a team are possible. Kohli did not demand anything,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, Ashwin is hopeful that India goes on to win a major ICC tournament in the coming time. India hasn’t savoured success in ICC events since MS Dhoni-led the team to glory in the 2013 Champions Trophy. The Men in Blue will now have a chance in the T20 World Cup, which will take place in UAE in the October-November window.

“When we lose a final, fans would be disappointed. Perhaps, billion Indians were looking forward to good news after lockdown and stuff. But it didn’t happen. Fingers crossed. Just hoping we win some other ICC tournament,” concluded Ashwin.

Team India head coach Ravi Shastri on Thursday took some time off and went to watch Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer’s second-round match in the ongoing Wimbledon tournament on Centre Court in London.

Federer will lock horns with French tennis player Richard Gasquet in the second round of the tournament on Centre Court.

Shastri shared a picture of him from the stadium on Thursday.

“Great to be back on a sunny day at @Wimbledon. Great tradition. Centre court beckons in a bit,” Shastri tweeted.

Great to be back on a sunny day at @Wimbledon. Great tradition. Centre court beckons in a bit  pic.twitter.com/tZ1PCIzhQr

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) July 1, 2021

On Tuesday, Federer had survived a scare in his opening match to register a win over Adrian Mannarino.

Federer staged a comeback against Mannarino to level the game before the French tennis player was forced to retire.

The game 6-4, 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-2 was at level with Federer winning the fourth set but Mannarino retired just at the start of the fifth essay and Swiss tennis maestro got a walkover.

In the first set Federer came out with flying colours but Mannarino levelled up against the star player after a dominant second set tie-break.

Mannarino stunned Federer in the third set when he won an easy game but the Grand Slam champion won the fourth set to stage a comeback and was finally given a walkover as he reached the second round of the tournament.

Earlier in the day, Star India player Sania Mirza and her doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands sailed into the second round of the ongoing Wimbledon Championships.

Sania and her American partner easily defeated the doubles pair of Desirae Krawczyk and Alexa Guarachi in the first round of women’s doubles.

Krawczyk, Guarachi gave a tough fight to Sania and Mattek-Sands in the first set however, the Indian tennis star along with her partner clinched the opening set 7-5.

Riding on the winning momentum, Sania and Mattek-Sands thrashed sixth seed pair of Krawczyk- Guarachi in the second set with a 6-3 win to kick off the quest of Grand Slam in style.

Team Indian cricketers are enjoying a lengthy break after their disappointing loss in the World Test Championship Final to New Zealand last month and on Wednesday (July 1), pacer Jasprit Bumrah chose to spend quality time with his better-half, Sanjana Ganesan.

Mumbai Indians paceman Bumrah recently shared a picture with his wife Sanjana from the couple’s day out in London. “Smiling at you,” Bumrah captioned the post on Instagram.

However, after posting the selfie, Bumrah faced the wrath of irked fans for his poor performance in the WTC final, in which Bumrah didn’t enjoy a great outing as he failed to pick up a single wicket in the crunch game due to which the Indian pace spearhead is facing brickbats on social media.

 

Zero Wicket in WTC still smiling great

— The Falcon (@K23Supriyo) June 30, 2021

 

Wtc final lost , u r smiling … Pls sit some days in room or don’t post some time in social website

— Prudhvi (@Prudhvi22420020) June 30, 2021

 

After seeing this how can you be happy?? U guys not Playing for our india especially when it comes to ICC SF,Finals always failing. When u r playing in IPL u give 100% effort, when u playing for country in Finals and all don’t give 30% effort also. Don’t u feel shame on you. pic.twitter.com/A87BxatjU3

— VIVEK (@Vivek1234556667) June 30, 2021

 

& we are crying because of you.
Atleast don’t write such captions to hurt us

—  (@NM18___) June 30, 2021

 

Watch ur final performance,Watch this boy pain & Keep smile ra lucha pic.twitter.com/usH08U6VEa

— Balaji (@Baaji25) June 30, 2021

India lost the WTC final by eight wickets to miss out on the prestigious Test mace but will be hoping to bounce back in the upcoming five-match series against England.

Team India is currently on a 20-day break from the bubble life in the UK after the World Test Championship Final 2021 against New Zealand. Team India dispersed on June 24 and will subsequently re-group in the bio-bubble on July 14 ahead of the Test matches which will commence from August 4. The players however are not allowed to leave the UK during this time period.

Southampton: New Zealand defeated India in the World Test Championship Final and became the inaugural Champions. The most iconic image that came out of the final was that of New Zealand Captain Kane Williamson resting his head on Virat Kohli’s shoulders. The NZ skipper has revealed the conversation that took between him and Virat at that moment after the WTC final ended. 

The WTC Final was absolutely nerve-wracking in which the NZ pacers dominated play. The match was played under the shadow of constant rin delays but New Zealand managed to bundle out the Indian batsmen on the last day for 170 runs. Kane Williamson and Ros Taylor eventually steered NZ to victory by playing sensible cricket shots. 

After the victory, Kane Williamson walked up to Virat Kohli and laid his head to rest on the shoulder of the Indian captain. He did this gesture as if he is saying, “It’s over, time to relax.”

 

It was a long Test match of 6 days and both the teams gave their everything; naturally, both the captains were exhausted and wanted to end the WTC Final on a nicer note. Kohli and Williamson’s friendship dates back to 2008 when both of them were the captains of their respective teams. It’s been over a week that the WTC ended and Williamson has finally opened up about his feelings in hindsight. 

“That was a great moment. We knew anytime you play against India, wherever you are, it’s an incredibly tough challenge. They often set the benchmark in our game in all formats. They show that with the depth that they have and cricket in their country as well,” The New Zealand captain told Cricbuzz. 

Williamson and Kohli know each other since their youth days as both of them started their careers at the same time. The NZ captain reiterated their friendship and told about the special moment with Kohli

“And the friendship with Virat stems back a number of years and a number of sorts of different times. And it was cool. We always know that there’s a bigger picture to it all. It was a really nice moment and our friendship and relationship are deeper than a game of cricket. And we both know that,” Williamson said.

 

 

 

 

New Delhi: International Cricket Council (ICC) has released a new schedule for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2. India vs England Pataudi series that is to be played from August 4 will mark the start of a new cycle of WTC. 

India will play against England, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh between the period of August 2021 to June 2023. ICC did announce some changes in the rules of the format for the second edition of WTC. 

In this cycle, each team plays six series’ with three series at home and three away. England vs India and Australia vs England (The Ashes) are the only two 5-match series in the entire WTC cycle. Rest all the matches are either two or three-Test match series with an exception of Australia vs India series that will have four matches. 

12 Points For Each Win

The major change that has taken place is the introduction of rating teams per match. In the first edition of WTC Final, each series consisted of 120 points, thus a lot of boards complained that this system was unfair as it gives an unruly advantage to teams playing 2-match series’. Thus, in the new system, each team will get 12 points for a win, 4 for a draw and 6 for a tie. 

There’s another rule about negative marking. Teams will lose 1 point for slow over-rate. One point will be deducted for every over that the team falls behind.  

ICC’s acting chief executive Geoff Allardice (to ESPNCricinfo) said, “Instead of each series being worth the same number of points, 120, irrespective of whether the series is played over two Tests or five Tests, the next cycle will see each match being worth the same number of points – a maximum of 12 per match. Teams will be ranked on the percentage of available points they won from the matches they have played. The aim was to try and simplify the points system and to allow teams to be meaningfully compared on the table at any point, though they may have played differing numbers of matches and series.”

New Delhi: International Cricket Council (ICC) has released a new schedule for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2. India vs England Pataudi series that is to be played from August 4 will mark the start of a new cycle of WTC. 

India will play against England, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh between the period of August 2021 to June 2023. ICC did announce some changes in the rules of the format for the second edition of WTC. 

In this cycle, each team plays six series’ with three series at home and three away. England vs India and Australia vs England (The Ashes) are the only two 5-match series in the entire WTC cycle. Rest all the matches are either two or three-Test match series with an exception of Australia vs India series that will have four matches. 

12 Points For Each Win

The major change that has taken place is the introduction of rating teams per match. In the first edition of WTC Final, each series consisted of 120 points, thus a lot of boards complained that this system was unfair as it gives an unruly advantage to teams playing 2-match series’. Thus, in the new system, each team will get 12 points for a win, 4 for a draw and 6 for a tie. 

There’s another rule about negative marking. Teams will lose 1 point for slow over-rate. One point will be deducted for every over that the team falls behind.  

ICC’s acting chief executive Geoff Allardice (to ESPNCricinfo) said, “Instead of each series being worth the same number of points, 120, irrespective of whether the series is played over two Tests or five Tests, the next cycle will see each match being worth the same number of points – a maximum of 12 per match. Teams will be ranked on the percentage of available points they won from the matches they have played. The aim was to try and simplify the points system and to allow teams to be meaningfully compared on the table at any point, though they may have played differing numbers of matches and series.”

A week after he became the No. 1 ranked all-rounder in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings, Ravindra Jadeja slipped to joint second as West Indies’ Jason Holder (384 rating points) moved back to the top. Jadeja (377) shares the second spot in the list of all-rounders with Ben Stokes.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant (752) slipped a spot to seventh position in rankings for Test batsmen while Rohit Sharma (759) held on to his sixth position. Besides Pant and Sharma, skipper Virat Kohli (812) occupies the fourth position.

@BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson is back to the No.1 spot in the latest @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings for batting.

Full list: https://t.co/OMjjVx5Mgf pic.twitter.com/1DWGBonmF2

— ICC (@ICC) June 30, 2021

Altogether, Indians occupy three of the top 10 positions in rankings for Test batsmen, one out of 10 in bowling rankings list, and two in the ranking for all-rounders.

R Ashwin retained his No. 2 position among bowlers with 865 rating points, behind Pat Cummins, who has 908.

Devon Conway moves up 18 slots
Kyle Jamieson reaches career-best position

The two New Zealand stars make massive gains in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings

Full list: https://t.co/OMjjVx5Mgf pic.twitter.com/B3fEuFFBDZ

— ICC (@ICC) June 30, 2021

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who played match-winning knocks — including a half-century — in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India this month, has moved back to the top spot with 901 rating points and displaced Australia’s Steve Smith (891), who is now No. 2.

Smith’s Aussie team-mate and understudy Marnus Labuschagne (878) is third and 66 rating points ahead of Kohli.

Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team is scheduled to play a five-Test series against hosts England. Ahead of the much-awaited series, Indian players are visiting London and surrounding cities with family and friends.

Amidst the threat of the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic, Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant took some time off cricket to visit the packed Wembley Arena to watch the football match between European championship heavyweights England and Germany in the ongoing UEFA Euro 2020. With a 2-0 win, England made it to the quarter-finals of the Euro Cup 2020.

READ | ‘Not Thinking About T20 World Cup’: Kuldeep Yadav’s Plan To Become A Regular In Team India

The Indian players have been given a break of 20 days ahead of the important Test series against England after a fruitful World Test Championship tournament.

Team India players have been living inside the bio-bubble for a long time, hence, to get the players mentally prepared and overcome bio-bubble fatigue, they have been allowed to spend some quality time with friends and family outside the bio-bubble.

Talking about Rishabh Pant’s performance in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, the wicket-keeper batsman scored 4 runs in the first innings and 14 runs in the second innings. Unfortunately, team India had to face defeat in the historic WTC Final match by 8 wickets.

Under the captaincy of 32-year-old Virat Kohli, India failed to win an ICC tournament for third consecutive time. 

India last won a major ICC tournament in the year 2013 i.e ICC Champions Trophy. The Indian cricket team is currently in England where they have to play a five-Test series against hosts English in August-September.

Southampton: The WTC Final will be remembered for some fiery pace bowling by New Zealand pacers, and especially by Kyle Jamieson. The Royal Challenges Bangalore (RCB) pacer picked up some key wickets of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, but the difficult part for him was watching the final innings of the final that was “nerve-racking”. 

Jamieson said that he went to the bathroom to be away from the “noise” and be at peace as the match became “pretty tough to watch” for him. 

“It was pretty tough to watch. I actually tried to at times to go to the bathroom where there was no noise to just get away from it for a while because it was quite nerve-racking,” Jamieson told Country Sport

Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson batted beautifully to guide NZ home in the WTC Final. Jamieson mentioned that the duo’s batting calmed his nerves.

“It was nice to have Kane and Ross out there, two of our greatest ever batters really to calm the nerves and finish the job the way they did, It was probably the toughest period of cricket I’ve been a part of, in terms of watching,” Jamieson said.

Kyle Jamieson and the entire New Zealand team watched the match on a television inside the dressing room. The Live telecast is slightly delayed from the live-action. The NZ pacer also elaborated on his experience of watching the WTC on TV. 

“We were sitting inside and actually watching on TV. There was a bit of a delay but it seemed like every ball the Indian crowd was up and about and I was like ‘jeez it’s a wicket’ or something like that, but it turned out it was just a block or a single,” Jamieson said.

New Zealand pace spearhead Tim Southee is auctioning a shirt he wore during the inaugural World Test Championship final against India to help fund cancer treatment for 8-year-old Hollie Beattie.

Southee, who is currently in MIQ [Managed Isolation Quarantine] after returning from New Zealand’s historic victory in the World Test Championship final against India at Ageas Bowl, has placed the rare piece of sporting memorabilia on Trade Me to raise funds for Hollie and her family. The shirt is signed by the entire Black Caps squad.

Hollie was first diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer called Neuroblastoma back in July 2018. The 32-year-old said he learned about Hollie’s story a couple of years ago through the cricket community and has been trying to support her in some small way.

Tim Southee is auctioning off his World Test Championship playing shirt. He has placed this rare piece of sporting memorabillia on @TradeMe to help fund cancer treatment for 8-year-old Hollie Beattie. Please follow the link below to place a bid.https://t.co/wepT7fizTw pic.twitter.com/4J2IWcPF9C

— NZCPA (@NZCPA) June 29, 2021

“This auction is for one of my Test worn shirts from the ICC World Test Championship Final against India signed by the full WTC squad. All proceeds from the auction will go towards supporting Hollie Beattie and her ongoing medical treatment,” Southee said on the auction post.

“I am hopeful that this shirt can help contribute in someway to the Beattie family’s ongoing medical needs as Hollie continues to fight. As a parent my heart goes out to them as they battle on.

“The Beattie family’s strength serves as a great reminder that whatever we may go through on the cricket field with success and failure it’s nothing compared to the challenges faced by those suffering with their health like Hollie,” he pointed.

“Any bid big or small is greatly appreciated!” Southee added.

By Tuesday the auction, which closes at 8.15 pm on July 8 (local time), was up to $43,100 after 199 bids.

Mumbai: Master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar has spoken about India’s loss in the World Test Championship Final. Tendulkar feels that the failure of Indian top-order batting in the WTC Final was the main reason for India’s loss. 

He rejected claims that said that India’s lack of partnerships on Day 6 was the prime reason for India’s loss. He felt India needed one solid partnership on Day 6 in the first 10-1 overs, that too, without losing a wicket. Tendulkar said that “the batters had to hang in there” in the first session of Day 6. Had India survived the first session without losing too many important wickets, India would have been in a much better position. 

“I’d mentioned that the first 10 overs on the last day would be critical. If we can last till drinks, then we had the firepower to accelerate. How Rishabh came and played some shots, and the rest too when they realised the game is a bit safer now. New Zealand couldn’t chase, they’d have to defend, that’s a change in mindset. But for that we needed a partnership upfront for that,” Tendulkar said on his own YouTube channel.

“Not losing a wicket in the first 10-12 overs was very important but that’s where New Zealand was successful in getting Kohli and Pujara out. They got out in quick succession and Rahane too got out which kept the pressure on India. And the batters had to hang in there,” Tendulkar said.

Many experts blamed the irresponsible nature of shots played by Rishabh Pant on Day 6, but  Tendulkar rejected these claims too, saying that Pant only tried to build some momentum. “Rishabh tried to play shots and change the momentum so that if some runs could be scored, we could have given them a chance to bat, our bowlers a little more overs. But India lost wickets and the game was decided in the first 10-15 overs. If we’d had a partnership there, we could have been putting pressure on them,” Tendulkar concluded. 

Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar has hinted that the Indian team management may have erred on the choice of bowling combination and under-bowled left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in New Zealand’s second innings in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Tendulkar, who holds the record for most runs in Tests and ODIs, said on his Youtube channel that due to lack of sun on the first few days, the spinners never came into play, especially left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja who bowled only 7.2 overs in the first innings.

Jadeja though bowled only eight overs in the second innings on the sixth day when the sun was out.

“See when you play five bowlers, it is impossible that all five bowlers will get the same number of overs. It doesn’t work that way. You have to take into consideration the pitch conditions, overhead conditions, the breeze, how much help the fast bowlers or spinners are getting and then accordingly you decide,” said Tendulkar.

“As far as I am concerned with whatever I have seen, the sun was hardly out in this Test match. It was out on the fifth day and on the sixth day. By that time, a lot of time had gone.”

Tendulkar said that while he understood the reasoning behind making Ashwin bowl more overs (15-5-28-2) than Jadeja (7.2-2-20-1) in the first innings as there were footmarks developed by New Zealand left-arm pace bowlers and the opposition had left-handed batsmen, he called Jadeja unlucky in the second innings.

“Jadeja’s strength is stump-to-stump line. He attacks stumps, so LBW and bowled chances emerge. It wasn’t a pitch [on days 1, 2, 3] where there would be turn and you could get a player out in slips,” said Tendulkar implying that Jadeja was unpredictable.

“In the second innings, the ball jumped a bit here and there. That is where the pitch started favouring the spinner. He was unlucky there,” added Tendulkar.

The only man to score 100 international centuries added that the Southampton pitch suited pace bowlers and not spinners.

“If people didn’t get equal opportunity, it was because fast bowlers were getting purchase. There are pitches for spinners, there are pitches for pacers. So you have to understand the conditions,” said Tendulkar.

India played two spinners and three pacers whereas New Zealand went in with a four-pronged pace attack. Colin de Grandhomme, a seam-bowling all-rounder, served as the fifth bowler.

India lost the WTC final by eight wickets.

Australia skipper Tim Paine has issued an apology to New Zealand fans after his bold prediction went horribly wrong. Paine had earlier predicted that India would “comfortably beat New Zealand” in the ICC World Test Championship Final (WTC Final) in Southampton. But it was the Kane Williamson’s side which emerged victorious in the end and that too quite comfortably.

“We all get some wrong. I copped a bit from the Kiwi fans, so I thought I’d come on air and eat some humble pie. I thought the New Zealanders played outstandingly,” Tim Paine told New Zealand radio station Newstalk ZB.

“It’s always a pleasure to watch the way they go about it. For such a small nation – I’m from Tasmania, which is obviously our smallest resource state and we punch above our weight – so I certainly respect what the Kiwis do on an international stage,” Tim Paine added.

However, Tim Paine said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) can make the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle a little better, adding that one should not take anything away from New Zealand.

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor played unbeaten knocks off 52 and 47 respectively as New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets to clinch the inaugural edition of the WTC here at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton on Wednesday.

“You want to be playing in that Test – that’s why I couldn’t watch the first three or four nights of it because I was dirty that we weren’t there. It’s a showpiece event, it’s a World Cup final. Can we make it better? Yes, we probably can but we shouldn’t take anything away from New Zealand,” Paine told Newstalk ZB, as reported by stuff.co.nz.

New Delhi: India might have lost the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) but former all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath feels skipper Virat Kohli has done a “fantastic job” and it is important for the side that he continues to lead the squad.

A brilliant performance by New Zealand’s seamers and a composed run chase by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor ensured the Kiwis made history by beating India to win the WTC final. Mohinder lavished praise on Kohli and added that he sees legend Viv Richards and former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting in the Indian captain.

“Virat Kohli is a great player and a very good captain also. We shouldn’t be emotional, we have many expectations and when our expectations don`t get fulfilled we start looking for something on which we can put the blame,” Mohinder Amarnath told ANI.

“Definitely he (Virat) is doing a fantastic job and a player like him comes once in a generation. Cricket will keep on moving forward and when there are so many facilities and you play for a whole year obviously your self-confidence increases.”

“In Virat Kohli, I see both Viv Richards and Ricky Ponting so you can imagine how good a batsmen Virat is. And with experience, his performances are improving and it`s important for him to continue as captain,” he added.

New Zealand entered the reserve day of the Final at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton eyeing victory and their bowlers delivered in style to skittle India for 170 before Williamson and Taylor steered a successful chase of 139 to secure a memorable eight-wicket win.

With India starting the day at 64 for two in their second innings, a lead of 32, all four results were still possible but the Black Caps’ pace quartet of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner combined to take the final eight wickets by conceding just 106 more runs.

“Team is balanced but you need practice games to get used to the conditions. So I think maybe they didn`t have the time to prepare for the WTC final but congratulations to New Zealand they are the genuine winners,” said Mohinder.

Team India on this day 38 years ago made history, as they won the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time. It was India’s greatest cricketing triumph at the time, as they defeated two-time winners West Indies by 43 runs to lift the coveted trophy.

“World Cup 83 win gave the confidence as India had defeated a strong team and it was beginning of the good days,” said Mohinder. “Definitely 83 win contributed to Indian cricket which we see nowadays. We performed as a unit in the tournament,” he added.

The former India cricketer feels better exposure in the recent years have led to improvement of the side.

“We had great players right from the start but we didn`t have the exposure. If we talk about great players like CK Naidu, my father, Vinoo Mankad in the 60s, 70s then the 80s so you see the performances improve when the exposure increases,” Mohinder Amarnath signed off.

The final match of the ICC World Test Championship was played between India and New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.  New Zealand defeated India to win the World Test Championship title. Team India had set a target of 139 runs for New Zealand to win.

New Zealand chased down the target after losing two wickets in their second innings. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson remained unbeaten on 52 and Ross Taylor scored 47 runs. India’s second innings was reduced to 170 runs.

India’s wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant scored the maximum 41 runs for India. For Kiwis, Tim Southee took 4 and Trent Boult took three wickets in India’s second innings for New Zealand.

Post the historic win, New Zealand took home the ICC Test Championship mace, designed by world-renowned trophy designer Thomas Lyte in 2000 in a London-based silver workshop, along with $1.6 million prize money.

New Zealand cricket team’s official Instagram handle has shared a photo in which it can be seen that a separate seat has been allotted for the WTC Final mace in the flight. 

Indian skipper Virat Kohli praised New Zealand players after the game. He said that New Zealand have fit bowlers who manage to sustain a good rhythm for a long time. The Indian batting lineup succumbed to below-200 scores in the last six innings against the Kiwi bowling attack. 

Kohli lauded New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson, who dismissed the Indian skipper in both innings. Kohli said: “Jamieson is a good bowler. I have faced many bowlers like him in my career. The extra height, I think, gives him a distinct advantage. It is difficult for batters to face him when he is in his rhythm.”

WTC Final: India had to face defeat in the World Test Championship Final. New Zealand lifted the inaugural WTC title by winning the Test match by 8 wickets.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli praised New Zealand players after the game. He said that New Zealand have fit bowlers who manage to sustain a good rhythm for a long time. The Indian team has not been able to withstand the Kiwi bowling attack, having succumbed to below-200 scores in the last six innings against them. The Indian batters performed quite poorly in the WTC final.

Fitness Of Kiwi Bowlers

After the match, Kohli said: “New Zealand’s team is very impressive. We have seen them over the years. They have a great team that really likes playing cricket.”

He said that the New Zealand bowlers could pitch the ball in the same spot for sustained periods because of their fitness and rhythm. Kohli said, “if you don’t put their bowlers under pressure, they are so fit that they will keep bowling in the same area all day long and land you in trouble.” 

Kohli Lauds Jamieson

Kohli lauded New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson, who dismissed the Indian skipper in both innings. Kohli said: “Jamieson is a good bowler. I have faced many bowlers like him in my career. The extra height, I think, gives him a distinct advantage. It is difficult for batters to face him when he is in his rhythm.

“I believe we weren’t able to apply enough pressure on Jamieson. We allowed him to bowl in the same spot. He wasn’t bowling in areas where we could score runs against him,” Kohli added.

India skipper Virat Kohli failed to lift yet another ICC title after losing the World Test Championship final against New Zealand by eight wickets in Southampton on Wednesday night. Chasing a paltry 139-run target on the Reserve Day of the World Test Championship final, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson along with senior batsman Ross Taylor guided their side to a comfortable win.

Kohli, who is known for his aggressive nature, was seen in a rather soft avatar as the Indian skipper exchanged hugs with his counterpart. The moment soon broke the internet and many took to social media to laud the spirit of the game displayed by the Indian captain.

Bengal cricketer-turned-politician Manoj Tiwary also reacted to the moment and wrote: “Picture of the day four me” and branded Williamson as “a hallmark of a gentleman of a cricketer”. Here are a few tweets:

Picture of d day 4 me, being humble even after winning d #worldtestchampionshipfinal as a Captain is a hallmark of a gentleman of a cricketer #Williamson  Congratulations @BLACKCAPS on winning and tough luck team India, there is a need for few changes going ahead #WTCFinal2021 pic.twitter.com/dsGCDImg6X

— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) June 23, 2021

That Hug of Indian Captain Virat Kohli to Worl Champion New Zealand Captain and Hero of Match Kane Williamson #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/ihS1037dwO

— IPL 2021 – #IPL2021 #IPL #IPL14 #IPLT20 (@CricketDailyIN) June 23, 2021

That Kohli and Williamson hug 

— Harleen (@HarleenVij) June 23, 2021

Two Champs in Single frame but luck favours one that’s it. Congratulations NZ

Always feel like Williamson is very close to our people. Hard Luck Virat Kohli #WTC2021Final #IndVNz pic.twitter.com/Yrwc3OpVP0

— Siva Harsha || S/H  (@SivaHarsha_1) June 23, 2021

Meanwhile, a day after losing the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, Team India head coach Ravi Shastri on Thursday congratulated the Kiwis.

Reacting to the result, Shastri in a tweet wrote: “Better team won in the conditions. Deserved winners after the longest wait for a World Title. Classic example of Big things don’t come easy. Well played, New Zealand. Respect.”

A day after losing the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, Team India head coach Ravi Shastri on Thursday congratulated the Kiwis. In a contest, which was marred by rain and poor light, Kane Williamson’s New Zealand tumbled Virat Kohli and his boys by eight wickets in Southampton on the Reserve Day to win the World Test Championship title. 

Reacting to the result, Shastri in a tweet wrote: “Better team won in the conditions. Deserved winners after the longest wait for a World Title. Classic example of Big things don’t come easy. Well played, New Zealand. Respect.” 

Better team won in the conditions. Deserved winners after the longest wait for a World Title. Classic example of Big things don’t come easy. Well played, New Zealand. Respect.

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) June 24, 2021

Leading the side from the front, Williamson anchored the Kiwi innings along with experienced candidate Ross Taylor and played an unbeaten knock of 52. Taylor, on the other hand, also remained not-out on 43, helping his side complete the 139-run chase comfortably. 

Meanwhile, Kohli on Wednesday indicated that he may bring in ‘right people with right mindset to perform’ in the Test side just like their white ball set-up where they have multiple players ready to shoulder responsibility at the highest level.

The Indian captain didn’t name anyone but expressed his displeasure at some of the players not showing enough intent to score runs which put pressure on the batting outfit. 

“We will continue to reassess and continue to have conversations around what are the things required to strengthen our side and not follow or fall prey to certain patterns,” Kohli said at the post match virtual press conference.

“We will not wait for a year or so and have to plan ahead. If you see our white ball team now, we have great depth and guys are ready and confident. Same thing needs to be done with Test cricket. You have to reassess and replan and understand what dynamics work for the team and how we can be fearless. Bring in right people who have right mindset to perform,” the skipper, hinted at overhaul. 

Southampton: Indian team skipper Virat Kohli and his New Zealand counterpart Kane Williamson are in disagreement over a one-off World Test Championship (WTC) final. While Kohli wants a series of three Test matches to decide a WTC final winner, Williamson said the “one-off factor” brings excitement like in finals of other formats.

India were on Wednesday beaten by New Zealand by eight wickets in the inaugural WTC final, a one-off event.

“Look, firstly I am not in absolute agreement of deciding the best Test side over the course of one game, to be very honest. If it is a Test series, it has to be a test of character over three Tests,” said Kohli in the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | New Zealand Become The First Ever World Test Champions, Defeat India By 8 Wickets

“Which team has the ability to come back into the series (should be a factor) … It can’t just be [about] pressure applied over two days of good cricket and you suddenly are not a good Test side anymore. I don’t believe in that,” said Kohli further.

The 32-year-old said that the winner of the two-year long WTC schedule has to be decided through hard grind and not just by winning a one-off Test.

“I think it has to be a hard grind and it needs to be certainly worked out in the future to really [decide the winner] at the end of three matches. There are efforts, ups and downs, situations changing throughout the course of the series. [There has to be] A chance to rectify the things that have gone wrong in the first game. Then you really see who is a better side in a three-match series. That will be a good measure of how things really are,” said Kohli and also added that the Indian team has done well over the last 3-4 years and not just over the last 18 months.

“We understand what we have done as a Test side over the last three-four years and not just in the last 18 months. [It is] Not a measure of ability and potential we have had over the last so many years,” he added.

Williamson, however, disagreed with this.

“I suppose the exciting part of a final is that anything can happen. We know how fickle cricket is and we have seen in other competitions, other World Cups and all other bits and pieces. The one-off factor brings a unique dynamic which does make it exciting,” said the Kiwis skipper who helped New Zealand lift an ICC title after two successive losses in final of the 50-over World Cup, in 2015 and 2019.

He said that the big challenge would be to schedule a three-match WTC final amid a lot of Test matches going around.

“On any given day, anything can happen. I suppose there are arguments for both sides and the challenge would be scheduling that [three-match WTC] series amongst lot of cricket that is already on. The more cricket you have in a series, the more you find out and the more you reveal. But it was an exciting game. It was the first time, both teams were fully geared up for it and it was a brilliant game of cricket,” said Williamson.

Day six of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final was one to forget for most Indian cricket fans. Kane Williamson’s New Zealand defeated Virat Kohli’s side to win the first-ever WTC title at Southampton on Wednesday (June 23).

Indian fans present at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton felt the same pain as the national side with Kohli’s boys losing wickets at regular intervals, right from the start of reserve day. Barring wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who played a brilliant knock of 41 runs off 88 balls, none of the other batsmen managed to play a big knock against the formidable New Zealand pace attack.

An Indian fan’s animated reaction to vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal was caught on the camera on Day 6 of the WTC final and it instantly went viral on social media. The fan was seen celebrating with other fans in the stands when the TV cameras panned on them, however, the celebrations didn’t last long as Rahane was dismissed on the next delivery.

The emotions on the fan’s face quickly went from that of ecstasy to that of agony as Rahane edged one from Trent Boult to get caught behind by BJ Watling and departed after scoring 15 runs off 40 balls. ICC shared the images of fan’s animated reaction to Rahane’s dismissal.

See the pictures here:

The fan’s reaction reminded many of the famous reaction from a Pakistan supporter during their 2019 World Cup clash against Australia in Taunton. The Pakistan fan’s epic reaction was transformed into hilarious memes by social media users at the time.

New Zealand went on to clinch the WTC crown with skipper Williamson leading the way with an unbeaten fifty and veteran Ross Taylor chipping in with 47 not out.