WTC final: "Waking up to the sun" - Dinesh Karthik shares positive weather update ahead of Day 2 of India-New Zealand clash
Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who is currently at Southampton as part of the ICC's commentary panel for the World Test Championship final, provided a positive update regarding the weather.
The first day of the WTC final between India and New Zealand was washed out due to rain. But as things stand, we can finally be in for some action today.
Dinesh Karthik posted a picture on Twitter with the sun shining upon the Ageas bowl. The 36-year-old captioned the picture:
"Waking up to the sun."
Although the ICC have included a reserve day for the final, if the game still ends in a draw, India and New Zealand would be declared as the joint winners of the inaugural World Test Championship.
Will Team India make changes to their playing XI ahead of the toss?
The India team management announced their playing XI a day in advance of the WTC final. However, as the toss is yet to take place, Virat Kohli and co. can still make changes to their team.
While India announced their XI, New Zealand are yet to make a decision on their team, with Tom Latham suggesting that the New Zealand skipper and the coach will take a final call after seeing the pitch.
With extra moisture and overcast conditions predicted over the course of the Test match, India might be tempted to bring in another seamer. Team India fielding coach R Sridhar was bullish and stated that the current playing XI is capable of winning anywhere, irrespective of the conditions. However, he was quick to add that India will keep their options open going into the toss on Day 2 of the WTC final.
Sridhar said in a press conference after the washed out Day 1:
"The XI that was announced (previously) is a team that takes the pitch and conditions out of the equation. They can perform in any given weather conditions. Having said that, the toss is not yet over, so a decision on the final XI will be taken at the time of the toss if needed.”
It will be interesting to see if Team India indeed make changes to their playing XI ahead of the toss today.