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WTC Final: India vs New Zealand: Battle of bowlers looms at Ageas Bowl; a welcome change too!

Batsmen take centre stage in the build-up to the match day. But the WTC Final, starting on Friday offers a different scenario. India and New Zealand have two of the most well-rounded bowling units and they are in talks.

WTC Final: Battle of bowlers

Southampton, June 17: By norm, almost, batsmen take centre stage these days in the build-up to the match day. Virat Kohli's lack of hundreds since 2019 or Kane Williamson's prolific form dominate the rest of the themes. But the WTC Final, starting at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, on Friday (June 18), offers a different and welcome scenario. In India and New Zealand, we have two of the most well-rounded bowling units in present day cricket and they are in the talks too.

Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Siraj, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav is an accomplished set of pace bowlers as any other the world has seen. Throw in R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, certainly the world's best at the moment in their respective craft, India's attack turns into a potent mix that together has taken a staggering 1359 wickets in Test cricket.

New Zealand's Seven Stars are Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Kyle Jamieson, Ajaz Patel, Matt Henry and Colin de Grandhomme, owners of 976 Test wickets together. The numbers show the pedigree of both the attacks.

The Indian bowlers, the hit the deck type, stretch the speed gun more than their Kiwis counterparts but if the conditions at Southampton favour swing then the NZ unit will be more in vogue. But in any case, the course of the WTC Final could well be dependent on how quickly the batsmen from either side tame the bowlers.

Kohli vs Boult, Southee

Kohli's outing will be keenly watched for the Indian skipper has not scored a three-figure knock since late 2019. Now, he will be up against two bowlers - Boult and Southee - who have troubled him more than the rest. In the WTC cycle, Boult and Southee have dismissed the Indian captain three times each and Kohli's false shot rate was 14.1% and 14.7% against them respectively.

Cheteshwar Pujara, who likes to wear down opposition attack, has his share of struggles against Boult and Southee. Pujara has faced 130 balls from Southee in the WTC cycle and scored 43 runs at a strike rate of 33.1 while getting dismissed three times, and the false shot rate stood at 17.3.

Puajra fared better against Boult. The right-hander, perhaps a result of tackling the in-swing from the left-hander, made 133 runs off 299 balls at a strike-rate of 44.5, which is significantly higher than his WTC cycle strike-rate of 36.8, and was dismissed four times with a false shot percentage of 16.8.

Ajinkya Rahane is India's highest run-getter in the WTC period with 1095 runs, marginally ahead of Rohit Sharma, but he has struggled a tad against Southee. The right-arm bowler's outswing has caused peril to Rahane four times in five innings and has scored just 24 runs off 110 balls at a strike rate of 21.8 and false shot percentage was 17.2.

Of course, the Ageas Bowl curator Simon Lee has asserted that the he has been attempting to prepare a pitch that offers pace and carry for the WTC Final. The weather report between June 18 and 22, as of now, offers a rather sunny picture, and that might just keep the 22-yard trampoline a bit dry as well.

The Ashwin effect

It might be the kind of news someone like Ashwin wants to hear ahead of a big match. Spin has played a massive role in India's two Test outings here in in 2014 and 2018. And on both those occasions, England spinner Moeen Ali made the decisive difference, tilting the match in his team's favour. The Indian fans will remember the 2018 Test for a half-fit Ashwin's underwhelming effort on the fourth day.

The champion offie would like to write a different story against the Kiwis and he has the numbers to fall back upon too. None of the other Indian bowlers have managed to trouble the frontline New Zealand batsmen like Ashwin. Williamson has been dismissed 5 times in 8 innings in the WTC cycle but he has also scored 146 runs off 242 balls at a strike-rate of 60.3, indicating a strong personal battle.

Bumrah and Shami have managed to oust the Kiwi captain twice each in 3 and 7 innings each. Ishant has scalped his wicket once in 6 innings, while Umesh and Jadeja are yet to dismiss him in 4 and 8 innings respectively.

Ross Taylor, the 100th Test man in New Zealand line-up, too has struggled against Ashwin. Taylor was dismissed five times in 11 innings and the right-hander has his own moments too, scoring 99 runs off 174 balls with a false shot percentage of 18.8. Ishant has also taken Taylor's wicket 4 times in 9 innings but has conceded 116 runs off 178 balls.

Ashwin has also had opener Tom Latham in knots jettisoning him 4 times in as many innings. Shami too has some success against the left-hander, taking his wicket 3 times in 11 innings. It will be a riveting contest when Ashwin comes up against these batsmen, potentially a match-turning one at that.

Different methods

Along with these stats, the operating method too matters. Indian pacers are quicker and love to attack the stumps with a straighter attacking line, but they have to be patient as the Kiwi batsmen, perhaps except Grandhomme, are not exactly enforcers like their Indian counterparts such as Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant or even Kohli for that matter. They hardly play the shots-on-the-up kind of batting.

The New Zealand batsmen tend to take control of the proceedings in a phased manner rather than with an outright onslaught. Similarly, the Indian batsmen need to remain watchful against the Kiwis pacers, less quicker than the Indians but varied and the seekers of outside edge.

Wagner, who was once described as a "mad bowler" by Pakistan batsman Mohammad Rizwan, is an exception as he can make a contest livelier with his relentlessness and ability to get the short-pitch ball going. But it remains to be seen whether Wagner gets the nod as a fourth pacer.

But everything apart, bowlers could get as much, or may be even a tad more, space than batsmen in those five days.

Story first published: Thursday, June 17, 2021, 12:40 [IST]
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