World Test Championship Final A Technology Spin

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The cricketing world has been waiting with baited breath for the start of the maiden World Test Championship final on June 18. There have been reams of written and plenty of verbal analysis done on both the Indian and New Zealand teams.

The pluses and minuses are in plentiful. However, the team that displays better mental strength on the day will be the winner. A Test match for teams is strategised through sessions whereas for an individual the target is much smaller.

Ajinkya Rahane puts it brilliantly by saying that he plays through every five minutes when he is batting. Every player focusses differently in order to succeed. The importance of run rate and strike rate takes a back seat.

Test cricket is a true battle between the bat and the ball and the skills of the bowler versus the batsman. The smaller battles that ensue between players during the five gruelling days is what makes Test cricket exciting to watch. These tussles are what finally win a team the war.

New Zealand's recent series win against England has put them ahead on the scale as favourites. However, the aura that a final match entails has no certain gains or advantage for any side. The famous line in a song sung by Whitney Houston "one moment in time" is what every cricketer involved would be dreaming of achieving in his or her respective goals.

Cricket at the present time has evolved from being a simple, straight forward encounter between two teams. Technology, research, and planning have become important factors. Analysing every aspect of the game with many layers of data on players and team performances in the past has become the base of how the coaches and support staff plan their strategies.

The India versus New Zealand final will be a technology spin. Each team has had plenty of time to study each other's players thoroughly. The core players from both the sides are known.

The only change that may arise depends on the weather conditions on the morning of the match. A hot sunny start would have a spinner, whereas, a wet cloudy morning an additional seamer. And, as it actually happened, and the first session of play was washed out on Friday.

The weather in England is always a major influencer in a game of cricket. Southampton, the venue of the match, has created a typical situation that will have both sides in a quandary.

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