The day started with India at 64/2 with a lead of 32. The New Zealand bowlers forced the play and shot India out for 170. Chasing a slightly tricky 139, Ravichandran Ashwin’s double blow sent a few jitters in the New Zealand camp, but Kane Williamson’s 52 and Ross Taylor’s 47 helped them get over the line with ease.
Each of the 98 overs had to be bowled on this sixth and final day of this World Test Championship final. Hence, all three results were possible heading into the final day. However, when the day started, there was very little chance that a result could be forced, and a draw seemed the most likely result.
But the New Zealand pace attack showed why they are one of the best in the world and are rated so highly. An all-round bowling performance from the Blackcaps dented India as Virat Kohli and his temmates couldn’t get away and get runs on the board.
India had two of their most experienced batters at the crease at the start of the day. Skipper Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara were always going to be the key, but Jamieson sent both of them packing early in the day.
The tall fast bowler put doubts in the head of the Indian batsmen of the ball, nipping back in and nicked them off with the surprise one seaming away.
Kohli played away from the body and nicked one to the keeper while Pujara hung his bat in no-man’s land and edged to first slip. Rishabh Pant got a life when he was on 5 as Tim Southee shelled an easy chance at second slip, and Jamieson was the unlucky bowler. India were in trouble and under pressure as Jamieson and Southee bowled excellent opening spells. Pant, alongside Ajinkya Rahane, tried to break the shackles and move the scoreboard.
The duo added 27 runs for the fifth wicket before Rahane was strangled down leg-side as Boult had his first wicket of the innings. Ravindra Jadeja came out and joined Pant in the counter-attack. The left-handed pair tried upping the ante and got a few boundaries.
India went into lunch at 130/5, and their lead was 98. They were in trouble, but a good partnership would’ve taken them to safe waters. But a marathon spell from Neil Wagner constantly pounded the ball short and eventually dismissed Jadeja, a slightly fuller one.
Pant continued to swing his bat around. He lived by the sword and died by it as well as he top-edged a hoick off Trent Boult, and Henry Nicholls pouched an excellent catch running back from the gully. Ravichandran Ashwin didn’t last long either as he edged a wide one from Boult to first slip.
Mohammed Shami swung his bat around and pushed India’s score 170 before Tim Southee dismissed him and Jasprit Bumrah in the space of four balls. Southee finished with four wickets, Jamieson took two and Boult picked up three while Wagner had one. The lead was just 138 and 53 overs were left in the game.
Tom Latham and Devon Conway survived a tricky eight overs period before the Tea interval. Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami shared the new ball for India and went past the edge a few times but couldn’t really get the breakthrough.
It was Ashwin who gave India some much-needed breakthroughs early in the final session. He had Latham stumped before pinning Conway LBW. New Zealand were 44/2, and India were breathing fire with the ball. They built pressure, and the New Zealand pair of Kane Williamson & Ross Taylor couldn’t really get away.
Williamson was given out LBW off Ashwin, but the New Zealand skipper successfully managed to overturn the decision with a review. The experienced duo saw off the tricky period, and the runs started to flow after the drinks interval.
The duo kept finding the boundaries regularly and kept the scoreboard ticking. Williamson notched up a half-century while Taylor remained unbeaten on 47 as New Zealand romped home with eight wickets to spare and 7.1 overs remaining in the day.
India fell short once again, and their quest for an ICC title continued. They were crowned as the inaugural World Test Championship champions. It was their sixth semi-final or final defeat in an ICC tournament since the start of 2014.
Brief Scores
India 217 (Rahane 49, Kohli 44, Jamieson 5/31, Wagner 2/40) and 170 (Pant 41, Southee 4/48, Boult 3/39) lost to New Zealand 249 (Conway 54, Williamson 49, Shami 4/76, Ishant 3/48) and 140/2 (Williamson 52*, Taylor 47, Ashwin 2/17, ) by eight wickets.
