WTC final: Ishant Sharma's best spell against New Zealand so far
Play on Day 4 of the WTC final between India and New Zealand was abandoned without a single ball being delivered. Persistent rain robbed fans of another day's play after the first day was washed out completely.
The forecast is looking much better for the next two days. That would mean we might witness some high-intensity cricket from both teams on Tuesday. If day five is utilized fully, fans will be hopeful of getting a result in the end.
By stumps on day three, New Zealand had managed to put up 101 runs on the scoreboard for the loss of two wickets. They had bundled India out for 217 earlier in the day.
Senior batsmen Kane Williamson (12 off 37 balls) and Ross Taylor (0 off 2 balls) are currently holding the fort. Openers Devon Conway(54) and Tom Latham (30) have been the two casualties so far.
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor's performances will be critical for the Kiwis in the first innings. They will try to accumulate as many runs as possible to ensure a sizeable lead. If they succeed in that job, New Zealand's chances of winning the World Test Championship will improve drastically.
India, on the other hand, have a very slim chances of winning the game from this situation. They still need to pick up 18 wickets in six sessions, which is not impossible but not simple at the same time.
Indian bowlers somehow need to trigger a Kiwi collapse. For that to happen, India will need their spearhead Ishant Sharma to be at his best. Ishant has county cricket experience and also has a good record in English conditions.
On that note, here we revisit Ishant Sharma's best spell against New Zealand:
Ishant Sharma's fiery spell helped India dismiss New Zealand for just 192 in the first innings of the 2014 Wellington Test
Basin Reserve in Wellington was the venue for the second Test of India's New Zealand tour in 2014. To take advantage of bowling-friendly conditions on day one, MS Dhoni invited New Zealand to bat first after winning the toss.
Indian bowlers Shami (4/70) and Ishant Sharma (6/51) bowled beautiful spells and bundled out New Zealand for just 192. Kane Williamson (47) was the top-scorer for the Kiwis.
Ishant Sharma bowled ideal lines and varied his lengths perfectly in the swinging conditions to pick up a six-wicket haul and give India a great start.
In reply, India posted 438 on the board courtesy of Dhawan (98), Rahane (118) and Dhoni's (68) knocks.
New Zealand began their second innings with a 246-run deficit. This time around, Zaheer Khan (5/170) provided early breakthroughs. As a result, the Kiwis were down to 94-5 and struggling to save the Test.
At this stage, skipper Brendon McCullum (302) and BJ Watling (124) joined forces to put on a mammoth 352-run partnership for the sixth wicket to steer their team out of a dire situation.
All-rounder James Neesham later joined the party to score some quick runs. After playing 210 overs, New Zealand declared their innings at 680/8.
India played out the remaining 52 overs of the game to ensure a draw. Virat Kohli (105* in 135 balls) and Rohit Sharma (31*) were unbeaten in the end, with 166/3 on the board.
With some action expected on Friday, the Indians will be hoping for the pace trio of Ishant, Bumrah and Shami to deliver the goods.
If they find their rhythms quickly and dismiss New Zealand batters without conceding a lead, then India might have a chance to look for a win.