During the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, India will face New Zealand in an all-important clash. Moving on to the main event, India named their Playing XI, which included an expected group of players. However, there has been a lot of doubt as to why New Zealand has not named their Playing XI. In a similar manner, New Zealand coach Gary Stead indicated that his team’s starting lineup had yet to be determined. Let’s discuss Why New Zealand Haven’t Announced Their ‘Playing XI’ Yet.
According to Stead, the New Zealand team will settle on their final lineup only after the coin toss. The decision may be made following the outcome of the toss, therefore fans will have to wait until Kane Williamson himself goes onto the pitch for the toss event.
“It’s amazing the number of Indian people that want to know [our team] as well,” Stead said on Thursday. “We’re just putting that on hold until tomorrow until we get down there.”
NZ -Playing XI judgement based on its progress up until the toss- Gary Stead
“The greener the pitch, the more chance you’ll play pace bowlers. The browner the pitch or dusty the pitch is when you’re more likely to play spin bowlers or slower bowlers,” stated Stead as his reason as quoted by News18.
It should be mentioned that India has earned a spot in the high-profile event’s final due to outstanding results over the past two years. However, their only defeat in the WTC cycle occurred in 2020 against New Zealand. Stead also stated that they are closely monitoring the Southampton pitch and would make a judgement based on its progress up until the toss. The mix of pacers and spinners in the XI depends mainly on it.
“There was a small green tinge on [the Southampton pitch] – it’s been interesting because we’ve been watching it over the last three days and it’s actually greened up over the last couple of days. They cut a bit of grass off it today but it’s still a light green colour,” added Stead.
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