WTC Final: Top 5 Indian Players To Look Out For!
New Zealand and India are set to face each other on 18th June for the title of the World Test Championship. The winning team will also grab the 1st spot in the ICC Test Team Rankings.
Here are our top 5 Indian players to look out for in the WTC Final:
5) Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja played his part well during the Border Gavaskar Trophy by scoring 57 runs from 159 balls and taking 3 wickets in the 2nd match. Unfortunately in the 3rd match he was injured and missed the last of the series and the entirety of the England tour of India. He provided promising knocks in the IPL 2021 thus exciting fans and players for his comeback in international cricket.
The left-handed all-rounder scored 236 runs in 6 Tests against New Zealand at an average of 47.20. His strike rate of 85.19 against them makes his a threat down the order. With the mediocre Indian tail end batting a slight worry for Team India – Jadeja would be expected to play the crucial role of batting with the tail and propelling India to a decent score.
With the ball, Jadeja picked 19 wickets in 6 Tests with a best of 5/73. He along with Ashwin will try to exploit the conditions in the later half of the match.
4) Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has scored 877 runs with an average of 43.85 so far in the World Test Championship. In the first match of the Border Gavaskar trophy, he scored 74 from 180 but that’s all he could contribute in the series due to paternity leave. He scored only 172 runs in the England tour which is a bit less than what people expected from him. It will be interesting to see how he makes a comeback in the WTC final.
The Indian captain scored 3 centuries and 3 half centuries against New Zealand in the 9 Tests he played. He averages 51.53 against the BlackCaps with a highest score of 211. Kohli likes to dominate the proceedings and put the team on the front foot and he will be a very valuable wicket for the opponents in the final.
3) Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is currently the 6th highest run scorer in the WTC with 1030 runs in 17 innings with an average of 64.37. He is the 2nd highest run getter for India with 1030 runs just behind Ajinkya Rahane who scored 1095 runs in 28 innings. He seems to be in form after he scored 339 runs in the England tour of India including a terrific knock of 161 from 231 balls. It will be exciting to see how he continues his form in the WTC final.
Rohit averages 60 with the bat against New Zealand in Test Cricket. He recorded 360 runs in 5 Tests with the help of 4 half centuries. He along with Shubman Gill will be key for India and New Zealand understands the threat of a Rohit Sharma start.
2) Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is the 3rd highest wicket-taker in the WTC with 67 wickets in 24 innings with 4 fifers under his name. He is just 4 wickets away from becoming the top wicket taker of the tournament.
Ashwin was the key factor of the Indian team in both the Border Gavaskar Trophy and England tour of India due to his stunning all-around skills. He along with Hanuma Vihari lead India to a draw in the 3rd test even after being injured and in such a terrible state that they weren’t even able to run. In the 2nd test of the England tour, Ashwin took 7 wickets in the match and scored 106 runs from 148 balls. He scored 189 runs in the series and took a total of 32 wickets including 3 fifers.
New Zealand might field as many as 5 left-handed batters (Latham, Conway, Nicholls, Wagner, Patel) and all of them will have to go through the ‘Ashwin Test’. He will hold the key with both bat and ball and New Zealand will be wary of his threat.
1) Rishabh Pant
After having a terrible performance in IPL 2020 throughout the tournament and being dropped from the ODI and T20I squad of the Indian cricket team during the India tour of Australia, Rishabh Pant made a comeback by becoming the savior of his team in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. He scored 274 runs in the series and played 2 incredible knocks of 97 from 118 and 89* from 136. Him remaining not out in the last and 4th test of the series resulted in India retaining the trophy. Further along, he was picked for the England tour of India and scored 270 runs in it with another century under his name.
Pant’s counter attacking style of batting is the X-factor in India’s armor and given the fact he has been severe against left arm spinners, it will be a attention grabbing match up if the BlackCaps field in Ajaz Patel.
The last time Rishabh Pant batted in a Test match in England – he scored 114 runs in 146 balls with the help of 15 fours and 4 sixes!
