Former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra believes irrespective of how well Team India had played in the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand; history will only remember who won the trophy at the end.
Team India locked horns against New Zealand in the inaugural World Test Championship Final in Southampton. The weather badly affected the game as it went into the sixth day – reserve day. New Zealand won the game by eight wickets and handed India another drubbing in an ICC tournament. With this defeat, India’s title-drought in ICC tournaments have stretched to eight years.
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It was the third tournament that India were playing under Virat Kohli’s captaincy and all of them have ended in disappointment. Pakistan overcame in the Champions Trophy 2017 final against India while New Zealand were the opponents to knock India out of the World Cup 2019 in the semifinal.
The last time India lift an ICC tournament was back in 2013 when MS Dhoni’s side went to the distance and beat England to win the trophy.
Chopra feels it was one bad session of the sixth day’s play undone India’s hard work of two years.
“They might have started the final day with the thought of forcing a result, but the twin wickets of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara put them on the back foot in the first hour,” Chopra wrote for ESPNcricinfo.
“This Indian team has stayed at the top of the Test rankings for five straight years, but unfortunately history will remember the one hour that India didn’t plan. The legacy of teams and captains is defined by the trophies they win; it doesn’t matter how many battles you win if you fail to win the war.”
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After the conclusion of the fifth day’s play, the WTC final was hanging in balance with all three results were possible. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara were overnight batsmen but failed to show any resistance against New Zealand bowlers. India got bundled out for 170 runs leaving Black Caps to chase 139 runs in the remaining time.
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor weathered the storm to take New Zealand through after losing both openers in quick succession. With time victory, New Zealand ended a two-decade-old drought of winning an ICC title. They fell short in the last two World Cups where they were defeated in the final by Australia in 2015 and England in 2019.
