Former Indian batsman Dilip Vengsarkar believes Team India will enter the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand as favourites. He sees India as more balanced than their opponents and Virat Kohli’s team will have the advantage in the final.
New Zealand reached England before India and will play two Test matches ahead of the final. On the other hand, India will only get few days of practice leading up to the game.
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Team India has landed in England and their isolation period has already started in the hotel attached to Southampton’s Ageas Bowl stadium. After completing three days in strict quarantine, they will be allowed to practice on the ground.
Vengsarkar feels India looks better team when doing man-to-man analysis. “If you compare the New Zealand team to the Indian team, man to man, India looks the better team,” Vengsarkar told Khaleej Times.
“Of course, Trent Boult is a world-class bowler and Kane Williamson is a world-class batsman. But India is a more all-round team. We have got quality spinners (Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja), we have got quality fast bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj) and quality batters as well.”
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He mentioned how India’s batting line-up was dependent on Virat Kohli when they toured England the last time around in 2018. Kohli scored 593 runs in five Tests back then and didn’t receive constant assistance from his teammates. He urged the other batsmen to contribute more this time.
“There are talented players in the (Indian) team. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, they are world-class cricketers. But it is also important for other players to chip in, you know because you can’t depend only on two players. If you are playing Test match cricket, everybody has to contribute,” the former chief selector added.
India will face New Zealand in the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand in Southampton, which will commence on June 18.
