‘Good guys’ deserve to win WTC Mace

There are a lot of ifs and buts in another of India’s failed attempts to cross the last hurdle

Hyderabad: Good guys can win. This is how Kiwi TV commentator Simon Doull described after New Zealand clinched the inaugural World Test Championship Mace in Southampton (England) on Wednesday. Kane Williamson and his teammates stole the hearts with their clinical show and with their wonderful demeanour on the field. They had lost to England in a tense one-day World Cup final in 2019 before making amends two years later.

There are a lot of ifs and buts in another of India’s failed attempts to cross the last hurdle. But for Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, the ICC titles continue to elude them. In the run-up to the final, they might have been short of match practice because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the long quarantine. But in hindsight they lost the plot with a wrong combination even though Kohli insisted that they were right in the balance of the team.

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The team had an opportunity to change the team by bringing in Mohd Siraj for Ravinder Jadeja to make it a four-pace attack. But they did not. They went in with two spinners when the conditions were ideal for swing bowling. The Indian think-tank did not learn from the mistakes of the 2019 semifinal against New Zealand. They went in with two spinners and three pacers where that time an in-form Mohd Shami was warming the benches. It cost India dearly. Yuzvendra Chahal, as second spinner, finished at 10-0-63-1. In this Test, Jadeja had a poor return of 7.2-2-20-1 and 8-1-25-0. Yes, Jadeja is the World No.1 all-rounder but India should have gone for horses for courses plan.

Perhaps young Siraj, with his pace and swing, could have put the pressure on New Zealand batsmen. India were done in by the non-performance of Jasprit Bumrah, who could not get his rhythm. The Indian pacers did not hit the right length while the New Zealand bowlers and batsmen adjusted to the conditions beautifully. Williamson was outstanding with his temperament, footwork and shot selection. The Indian bowlers, led by Mohd Shami, did show some fight. However, the inability by the Indians to take the last four wickets quickly hurt Kohli and the 32-run lead made the difference.

Much before the final started it was touted as a battle between rival pace bowlers. But New Zealand, who opted for all pace attack, outplayed India. The tall Kyle Jamieson captured seven wickets, including five in the first innings. His high release point and the awkward bounce he gets from the pitch makes Jamieson a dangerous bowler. The way he set up to dismiss Kohli in both the innings was brilliant. The Indian captain acknowledged that the Kiwis bowlers executed the plans perfectly. Southee, with his swing, dealt severe blows in crucial stages of the game and so were Trent Boult and Neil Wagner.

In a way, the Indian batsmen were exposed around the corridor of uncertainty, particularly on the sixth day when the conditions were ideal for batting for the first time in the match. Cheteshwar Pujara was stuck in while Ajinkya Rahane was guilty of getting out with bad shots. India failed to handle the pressure and capitulated. In the end the Good Guys deserved to win.

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