Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday suffered his third defeat in ICC events as New Zealand beat India by eight wickets in the final of the World Test Championship in Southampton on Wednesday.
Before this match, India under Kohli had lost in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup which had come two years after India were defeated by Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. India’s next appearance in an ICC tournament will be in the T20 World Cup 2021, which is scheduled to be played in India.
On the other hand, two years after their worrying super over loss to England in the 50-over World Cup final at Lord’s, the Blackcaps on Wednesday enjoyed the greatest triumph in their cricket history as they beat India by eight wickets in the inaugural WTC final.
Both sides were on the same page till the Day 5 but on the reserve day the New Zealand outplayed India. New Zealand has not only restricted India on the score of 170 but also chased down the target of 139 easily losing their openers. Set a modest target of 139 in 53 overs, New Zealand finished on 140-2 with time to spare in a match extended into a reserve sixth day following two days lost to rain.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed New Zealand to 44-2 by removing openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway to the delight of India fans. But New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, the team’s most-experienced batsmen, settled any lingering nerves in an unbroken stand of 96.
India’s last hope had been washed out when Pujara dropped Taylor at 84-2 on the delivery of Jasprit Bumrah then Bumrah dropped Taylor again when Shami was on attack. Taylor, who hit the winning boundary, was unbeaten on 47.
After his side lost the WTC Final by eight wickets with batting being a major letdown, the Indian captain Virat Kohli didn’t take any names but expressed his displeasure at some players for not showing enough intent to score runs. He said that the right people who have the right mindset to perform will be brought in following a reassessment.
Senior batsman Cheteshwar Pujara managed 8 off 54 balls in the first innings and consumed 35 balls for his first run. He then scored just 15 runs off 80 balls in the second essay.
Kohli urged his batsmen to take calculated risks and strike a balance between well-timed strokeplay and holding an end.
He said Rishabh Pant’s aggressive approach didn’t yield results but his repeated attempts to charge down the track against pacers and missing the swinging deliveries raised questions about his game awareness. The skipper, however, seemed fine with his intent to score rather than looking to survive.
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The skipper also said Rishabh’s definitely going to be an expressive player whenever he gets an opportunity, he assesses it really well and when things don’t come off, then it can be an error in judgement, which is acceptable in sport.