WTC Final: India Eye Greatest Title In Cricket

India have announced their playing XI for the inaugural World Test Championship final against New Zealand beginning here on Friday on expected lines. The team will comprise five specialist batsmen, wi

In fact, veteran Tim Southee and Trent Boult, a high quality left-arm exponent, have the ability to bend the ball in the air with greater control than their Indian counterparts.

The duo is likely to be supported by the 6' 8" Kyle Jamieson and either Neil Wagner or Ajaz Patel. The latter is in the frame because on the only occasions the Indians have figured in Tests at the Ageas Bowl, in 2014 and 2018, Moeen Ali with his unpretentious off-spin had proved to be a thorn in the visitors' flesh.

Pitches in New Zealand resemble English wickets. On such tracks 16 months ago, the Indian batting had failed miserably. There could, though, be a lifeline in that the International Cricket Council (ICC) feels obliged to facilitate a match going the distance.

A short-lived affair would be an anti-climax, a bad advertisement, indeed disappointing for the 25 per cent of capacity crowd that would be permitted under Covid restrictions, not to mention the broadcast audiences and rights holders being likewise short-changed.

The ICC's independent pitch consultant Andy Atkinson has asked the ground's curator Sam Lee for "the best possible playing surface to be prepared for local conditions".

He added: "The pitch is in excellent condition." Reading between the lines, this means an even balance between bat and ball. But rain has intervened since and could persist into the first day of play.

The WTC has been ill-fated in that it has been impaired by the worst pandemic in a century, with series being cancelled and the mode of qualification having to be revised.

Besides, the marketing and publicity needed to extricate the purest form of cricket from the existential threat it faces haven't materialised. The prize money of $1.6 million for the champions is also not exactly mouth-watering.

Last but not the least, the red listing of India, because of the raging virus there, has been a roadblock to Indian media attendance in the final. Normally they far outnumber the representatives from other countries at major ICC events.

The redoubtable Sunil Gavaskar thinks India will win. But the independent view emanating from two former England helmsmen -- Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook -- forecasts New Zealand are the favourites.

The Ageas Bowl is admittedly an unfitting venue for a rendezvous of such magnitude. But the home of cricket, Lord's, was relieved of the honour because of the compulsion of Covid security, which the former provides with a hotel integrated with the stadium. (Senior cricket writer Ashis Ray is a broadcaster and author of the book 'Cricket World Cup: The Indian Challenge')