New zealand has a population of roughly three million. The player pool they have at their disposal is less than a 100. The revenue New Zealand Cricket earns from the game is miniscule, nothing compared to the Indian cricket board. Yet, these disparities didn’t count for much as the Black Caps engineered a sensational eight-wicket win to claim the inaugural World Test Championship.
After a few days of a dank and gloomy start to the final, the last day proved to be a beehive of action. Under good batting conditions, India’s famed batting cracked under pressure. The fabled New Zealand attack made hay when the sun shone, literally on the final day.
A collapse was the last thing Virat Kohli & his team needed. But when the skipper walked back for not much on morning, it was always on the cards. After bowling the Indians out for 170 (138-run lead), Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, steadied the ship, bided their time and took the Kiwis home for only their second ICC title (they won the first in 2000).
For a side that had to wait 26 years for a Test match win — the longest in history — the WTC title has been made possible by an ecelctic bunch of cricketers that is considered as their best team. Not even their team of the 1980s comprising Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe has been this competitive and invincible at home.
For India, this was an opportunity lost. Easily the best side in WTC cycle, all they needed was one good session with the bat. Instead, from the moment Kyle Jamieson removed Kohli in the sixth over of the day and Cheteshwar Puajra two overs later, their fate was sealed.
Conditions were in NZ’s favour but India could have played an extra batsman. Or perhaps, they erred in playing two spinners. Kiwis had an advantage playing two Tests against England before this. All those are now footnotes as one the most underrated sides walk away with their well-deserved prize.