The stage is all set with readiness. India and New Zealand will fight it out in the ultimate battle at The Rose Bowl in Southampton. The Test is scheduled to begin on 18 June and will be played up until 22 June with a day added as a reserve to arrive at a result. Both teams will be looking to make history. The quest of becoming inaugural world champions is a different feeling. Here are ind vs nz wtc final match predictions.

StumpsandBails looks at how the two teams stack up against each other and who holds the aces going into the finals:

India vs New Zealand: IND vs NZ WTC Match Predictions and Dream11 Team

India: Form

The Indian team is on a historic high. They won a Test series in Australia for the second consecutive time. The fact that they won there despite playing their second-string squad spoke volumes about India’s talent depth. India continued to dominate at home defeating England 3-1. They went on to win the series despite losing the first game. India have arrived in England. They are playing intra squad games with match stimulation to get ready for the big final. The major hiccup is unlike New Zealand who have already played 2 Tests in England, India don’t have any match scheduled to test them. This might prove to be a crucial factor in the finals.

New Zealand: Form

New Zealand created history by defeating England in a Test series. This is the first time since 2014 that England have lost a home Test series. New Zealand will be certainly high on confidence winning the series 1-0. The fact that the Kiwis made 6 changes to their lineup in the 2nd Test yet went on to win the game shows their quality. New Zealand have had 17 players across 2 Tests who have got a chance to acclimatise to the conditions. This is one area that is a big advantage for the Kiwis.

IND vs NZ: Favourites?

ind vs nz wtc final. India are yet to win an ICC event post winning the 2013 Champions Trophy. The last time they lost in an ICC knockout game was against New Zealand in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-finals. India will be pumped up to settle the scores with the black caps.

New Zealand on the other hand have missed out narrowly on 2 consecutive ODI world cups. They ended up as runners-up in both 2015 and 2019. New Zealand have just a single ICC trophy (Champions trophy 2000) to their name. They will be eager to add this silverware to their kitty.

In a battle between the world’s top two Test teams, New Zealand hold a slight advantage as the conditions in England are quite similar to New Zealand.

Which players will be match-winners in this game?

Cheteshwar Pujara played an understated yet stellar role in India’s historic Test series win against Australia. He will be key to India’s resilience against the relentless Kiwis.

Ross Taylor has been a flesh-in-the-thorn for Indians. Taylor will be itching to make a statement in the WTC finals.

X-factor player:

Rishabh Pant is in glorious form. The world knows he will be the biggest X-factor for India in the finals.

The pace attack of New Zealand (Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, and Kyle Jamieson) will be a handful on a helpful English wicket.

Probable Playing XI:

India predicted XI:

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Siraj/Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand predicted XI:

Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling, Colin de Grandhomme/Mitchell Santner/Ajaz Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult

What do stats say about IND vs NZ?

India and New Zealand have clashed against each other 59 times in test matches. 

India has won 21 matches compared to New Zealand’s 12 victories. A total of 26 Tests have resulted in a draw.

India has won 11 series and New Zealand has won 6.

Pitch:

The Rose Bowl in Southampton is sure to aid the pacers in the first 3 days. Pitch is expected to assist the spinners from the 4th day. Moeen Ali had caught India in a spin web in 2018 in the decisive 4th Test. Teams will be tempted to play a spinner despite the conditions.

In the 6 completed Tests, teams batting first have won 2 games and teams chasing have won just a single game.

Average scores:

First innings: 337

Second innings: 280

Third innings: 262

Fourth innings: 187

Batting fourth won’t be easy on this wicket.

Weather Report:

A high of 18 degrees and a low of 7 degrees is expected. There are chances of rain. Toss becomes a crucial factor in overcast conditions.

StumpsandBails verdict:

It is a battle between India’s never-say-die attitude and NZ’s skillful professionalism. NZ hold an edge but count India out at your own peril.

 

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