Kohli chases first major trophy

An undercooked India will take on a upbeat New Zealand aiming to become Test cricket's first official world champions when they clash in the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final in Southampton, England, from today.

The one-off match at the Rose Bowl marks the culmination of a two-year cycle of the WTC, which was launched in 2019 to create Test cricket's own pinnacle event.

The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) wanted the championship to bring relevance and context to Test cricket and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said it has been a success.

"I think we saw it at the end of the competition, teams trying to push their case for qualifying which made way for a lot of exciting results," the 30-year-old said last week. "We saw in Australia, in New Zealand, a lot of teams had a chance to get through."

New Zealand are looking to shed the bridesmaids tag in big finals, having finished runners-up at the last two 50-overs World Cups.

They were particularly unlucky in 2019 when England won the title via a now-scrapped boundary-count rule after the final ended in a tie even after a Super Over.

The WTC final presents them with another opportunity to become world champions and they look ready to grasp their chance, signalling their preparedness with a 1-0 series victory against England.

Particularly impressive was how the team under stop-gap captain Tom Latham, having made six changes to their squad, triumphed by eight wickets inside four days in Edgbaston.

By contrast, India have not played a Test match since March and are yet to win an ICC trophy under skipper Virat Kohli.

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor said on Tuesday that his side have benefited from playing in England before facing India.

"Ideal preparation, having two Test matches against England in these conditions," he said.

But the 37-year-old, a veteran of 107 Tests, played down any potential psychological advantage for New Zealand.

"I think it probably gives our players a little bit more confidence but India have got a very balanced (squad) and their depth has been amazing," he said.

New Zealand reclaimed the world No. 1 Test ranking from India after their series win against England but Taylor said Kohli's side were long-established as the team to beat.

"India have been the world No. 1 side and kept that bar very high for a long period of time that everyone around the world has had to try and catch up to," he said.

Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara admitted his team are at a disadvantage compared to New Zealand but said they were well-prepared and had valuable experience of English conditions.

"It is something we can't control," he said. "It's challenging times all over the world because of the pandemic.

"You can't have all the luxuries of having extra time for preparation, so the game is still going on and that's the most important part."

Pujara, 33, who has played 85 Tests, said the mental side of the game was crucial for India after their limited match time in the run-up to the game.

"Mentally you need to be up for it because sometimes you have only a little bit of time for preparation before an important game because of quarantine and all the restrictions."

The importance of the WTC final was not lost on Kohli, 32.

"This holds a lot of value, especially this being the first of its kind and in the toughest format," he said. "This is like the accumulation of all the hard work of not just the duration of the championship but the last five-six years."

The WTC final could prove to be a contest between India's star-studded batting line-up and New Zealand's versatile pace attack armed with the fast-swinging Dukes ball.

With an animated Kohli and a phlegmatic Williamson leading their troops, the final will also be a clash of contrasting leadership styles.

Indian great Sachin Tendulkar believes the final is being played between two evenly matched sides. Batting could, however, determine the result, he felt.

"It's important to pick 20 wickets to win a Test match, but it is equally important to give enough runs on the board to your bowlers," he said. "It's important to bat well.

"I think the first session is going to be really critical. Sometimes you just have to ease yourself into a match, anxiety levels are going to be high."

Reuters, AFP

"Ideal preparation, having two Test matches against England in these conditions. I think it probably gives our players a little bit more confidence but India have got a very balanced (squad) and their depth has been amazing."

- New Zealand batsman

Ross Taylor

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