The inaugural edition of the World Test Championship Final between India and New Zealand kick-started today at The Rose Bowl in Southampton. The first day of the contest came to an unexpected end after rain played spoilsport throughout the day.
As a result, the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled. However, the WTC Final started today as New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Indian openers namely Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill got off to a very good start. They scored runs at around 4 runs an over, which is indeed worth applauding against the experienced New Zealand bowlers.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill looked in fluent touch with the bat scoring runs at will. Both batsmen had their fair share of moments while hitting boundaries. However, Rohit Sharma enjoyed the most.
Rohit who hasn’t scored even a single overseas Test century timed the balls to perfection. He looked calm and composed on the pitch and didn’t try to take calculated risks in playing shots.
The veteran opener stuck to the basics and played the natural and it did work for him. However, his innings didn’t last long after he was dismissed by Kyle Jamieson on 34.
Rohit Sharma looks at Colin de Grandhomme after hitting him for a boundary
Overall, Rohit Sharma bludgeoned 6 boundaries to his name. While he was looking in fluent touch, Jamieson dismissed him as Tim Southee took a good catch at the slip. Rohit and Gill shared a pretty good 62-run stand for the opening wicket.
The WTC Final witnessed one awesome moment when Rohit was on strike. Kiwi seamer Colin de Grandhomme tried his best to frustrate Rohit with good deliveries. Meanwhile, Rohit found a way to hit him for a boundary and after which, he looked at him.
Watch the video below:
India’s starting XI
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand’s starting XI
Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult
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