After two years, 59 Tests spread around 24 series, we have a winner. New Zealand on Thursday emerged the winners of the inaugural Cricket World Test Championship 2021, with the small island nation producing enthralling cricket to demolish the cricketing mammoth in India, while bagging their first-ever major Cricket trophy in men’s cricket.
New Zealand handed the raucous Virat Kohli’s team an eight-wicket humiliation in a game which was played over six days—two of which were completely washed out and the rest had intermittent rain interruptions. Despite a lot of time lost to inclement weather, New Zealand proved they were far better than India in all aspects. The Kane Williamson-side clinched the trophy in a spectacular manner in three-and-a-half days, thus stamping their authority in the toughest format of cricket.
The beginning
It all began with New Zealand winning the toss and inviting India to bat on the second day, after the first was washed out. India made a confident start with Rohit Sharma (34 & 30) and Shubman Gill (28 & 8) displaying tremendous intent and application during the initial phase of the contest. It was cold, wet and overcast with plenty of moisture on the pitch. However, both were dismissed in quick succession and Cheteshwar Pujara (8 & 15), who scored his first run on the 36th delivery, hit two boundaries before the stoic Indian batsman was outfoxed by Trent Boult.
Just like Gill earlier, Pujara was rattled by a bouncer which hit his helmet and soon he was barraged with a flurry of short deliveries. Boult was far too good for the India No 3, bowling one fuller and into Pujara which went on to hit his pads in front of the wickets.
It was Kohli who actually showed what it takes to make runs in bowling-friendly conditions in the UK. The India captain was completely in control during his stay on the second day, leaving all such deliveries that were troubling him while producing a spectacular display of front-foot defence and sound judgement against moving ball. In the company of Ajinkya Rahane, Kohli took India to 146/3 at stumps when rain interrupted once again.
Midway through The Ultimate Test
While the third day washed out completely, the possiblity of draw began appearing on the horizon but New Zealand were yet to deal all their cards. Kyle Jamieson found his mojo to ran riot in the Indian ranks, returning with 22-12-31-5 as the lanky New Zealand all-rounder helped his team bowl India out for a paltry score of 217 on the third day.
While Ishant Sharma took his time to settle in and Jasprit Bumrah continued to struggle with the red ball, it was Mohammad Shami who provided the jitters for New Zealand. After a bright start that saw New Zealand openers Tom Latham (30 & 9) and Devon Conway (54 & 19) putting up a strong display, Shami struck to dismiss Ross Taylor (11), BJ Watling (1), Colin de Grandhomme (30) and Jamieson (21) to keep New Zealand in control. Shami took 4/76 that helped India apply brakes on New Zealand, despite the Kiwis scoring 241, 32 runs ahead of their own total.
But a splendid knock from Williamson which saw him consuming as many as 177 balls for his 49 and a handy knock of 30 by Tim Southee, helped New Zealand take a crucial lead, through which the Kiwis are able to apply further pressure on the Indian team.
Indian batsmen fail to show up
The Indian team was tasked with batting responsibly in challenging situation conditions that kept on getting conducive, for as long as possible in order to thwart any advances made by New Zealand, since it appeared that the possibility of winning the contest was all but over for them. However, after yet another promising start, the pair of Rohit and Gill perished as India ended the game on the evening of the fifth day at the score of 64/2, with a lead of 32.
The sixth day, an additional day provided by the Cricket particularly for this Test, was the one on which Indian batsmen required to drop their anchor and bat as long as possible. However, playing only in his eighth Test, Jamieson was far too good for the might of India’s star batting line-up.
Kyle Jamieson rattles India
Within the first half-an-hour of play under perfect English batting conditions, Jamieson ensured that New Zealand were well on their way to win the contest as he got rid of both Kohli and Pujara to leave India reeling at 72/4, with a brittle batting line-up to follow. Nothing else went beyond the expected as Rahane was caught on a ball sprayed on the leg side by Boult.
Rishabh Pant can be entertaining but his game persistently flirts with risk. At a time when he was supposed to to weather the storm and produce a counter-attacking innings while being cautious, Pant tried everything in his strange book of strokes. Freeing up his hands helped the left-hand batsman smacked four boundaries in a desperate effort to revive the Indian innings, in which he eventually finished at 41 from 88 deliveries which also featured a splendid dual with Neil Wagner.
None of the other Indian batsmen had it in them to fight on against a disciplined, probing and persistent New Zealand bowling attack which kept chipping away with wickets. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin both tried to slog their way out just like Pant but neither of them were able to. In fact, it took three lusty blows from Shami that got him as many boundaries and helped India set a 139-run target for New Zealand to win the contest in about 53 overs.
Once again, the New Zealand openers were far too good for the Indian bowlers as they provided a strong start. Even though Ashwin was able to get rid of both Latham and Conway in quick succession, India ran into the wall in form of Williamson (52*) and Taylor (47*), who added an unbeaten 96 for the third wicket to take their side through to a historic victory.
The Kiwis’ strong points
Williamson was the key figure in the New Zealand batting line-up. He held fort on one end and ensured New Zealand had a small but vital lead in the first innings.
One another area in which the Kiwis outgunned India was in the fact that they picked five fast bowlers and no spinner against India’s three fast bowlers and two spinners, and yet emerged victorious. India captain Kohli could only justify that this was India’s best XI but clearly he was out-thought and his side out-matched.
The weather forecast suggested rain interventions on most of the matchdays, which implied fast bowlers were to have a greater say in the proceedings. New Zealand proved that, but India could not. One of their bowlers looked a pale shadow of his brilliant image while the others were not imposing enough.
Apart from Williamson’s defiance with the bat and Jamieson’s all-round brilliance, Southee brought in all his experience to chip in with five wickets in the game, four of which derailed India in the second innings. He was a little wayward at the start of the match, but by the end of it India were happy not seeing the sight of him.
What next?
Amid all this, the International Cricket Council (Cricket) receieved plenty of criticism from all corners for organising a game in England, notorious for frequent rain interventions. Two days out of six were lost. Cricket will certainly have to look into this.
Williamson’s New Zealand will now return home as a proud bunch, having defeated England earlier in the two-Test series to record their first win in the Old Blighty after 1999, whereas India will be left to lick their wounds over the period of next one month or so.
It is for the second time in last six years that India qualified for the summit clash of an Cricket event and failed miserably. And they have no one else but themselves to blame. India are seriously lacking runs and this problem is not being addressed—captain Kohli has gone without a century since November 2019, Pujara last scored his Test century in January 2019, Rahane has remained as inconsistent as ever and so has India’s persistence on trying out new opening pair left a lot to be desired.
The debate before the start of the contest was the whether Ishant Sharma will make to the playing XI as Mohammed Siraj looked a tough opponent to beat. However, the debate should have been on whether Jasprit Bumrah have played this contest since he has been completely out of sorts.
Nevertheless, as captain Kohli said, cricket will not stop neither for him nor for his team as India will look to turn around their fortunes when they take field in early August, after one month break in England, to take on the hosts in a five-match Test series, post which they will return home for the completion of the Indian Premier League (Indian T20) 2021.
