New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme suggested that India’s biggest problem ahead of the coveted World Test Championship final would be to choose the final playing eleven as a plethora of players have done exceedingly well for India in the longest format of the game in the recent past.
As all the drama and excitement of IPL was cut short by the menacing COVID-19 pandemic, the focus has now shifted to the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship. The final of the tournament will be played between India and New Zealand from June 18 to 22 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
New Zealand became the first team to qualify for the final of the event earlier this year after registering a comfortable victory against West Indies and Pakistan in the longest format of the game. However, unlike New Zealand, India faced two cricketing giants, Australia and England and successfully defeated them in order to reach the finals.
The Indians scripted a magnificent 2-1 series win Down Under despite facing innumerable injury issues. Moreover, the skipper of the Indian team, Virat Kohli, also left for India after featuring in just 1 Test against the Aussies, in which India was brutally thrashed. Still, the young brigade managed to hold their nerve in pressure situations and emerged victoriously.
They also managed to comprehensively beat England in a home four-match Test series by 3-1. Heading into the final, New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme revealed the major problem their opponent India will be facing in the grand finale.
Colin believes that one of the biggest headaches for India will be to select a perfect playing eleven from the plethora of options they have. The all-rounder is of the opinion that India has all their bases covered and has plenty of players who possess a lot of skill required to succeed at the highest level.
The International Cricket Council took to its official Twitter handle to quote the statement made by Colin de Grandhomme.
“With the amount of players they’ve got they can cover all bases because they’ve got real good seam bowlers these days and gun spinners, so I think the toughest thing for them is going to be picking the XI,”
the ICC quoted de Grandhomme as saying.
The statement made by the marquee all-rounder actually holds a lot of relevance as in the past months, India has been exceptional in Test cricket. Moreover, India has also handed Test debuts to many players in the recent past who have done nothing to hurt their chances of featuring in the final of the Test Championship. Almost all the players have grabbed the opportunity provided to them with both hands and have made headlines with absolutely breathtaking performances on the field.
The Australia tour of India saw India defeating Australia by 2-1 without the presence of all the three main pacers, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Ishant Sharma. T. Natarajan, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur stepped up to the task and bamboozled the Aussies in their own den. Moreover, the batting performances by the bowling all-rounders was also commendable.
Shardul Thakur played some excellent knocks with the bat. Washington Sundar has been a revelation for India as he has consistently made runs while batting in the lower order. However, Sundar might have to warm the bench in the coveted final as the conditions in England will suit the pacers, and ace spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are now fit to feature in the game.
India does have a bench strength which the opponents will envy. However, the Kiwis are no less. They have been extremely consistent in all formats of the game, and the fact that they will face England before taking on India in the finals does swing the pendulum in their favor.
