WTC Final: "Two of the greatest" - David Gower heaps praise on Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson
Former England skipper David Gower lavished praise on Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, calling the duo the “greatest batsmen in the world”.
Gower played 117 Tests and 114 ODIs for England scoring 8231 and 3170 runs respectively. The Kent cricketer is considered one of England's best batsmen of all time.
Speaking to the Times of India, Gower shed light on the upcoming ICC WTC final.
“We know there are two of the greatest batsmen in the world at the moment that are going to be involved in Virat and in Kane Williamson. You've got two very competitive teams. So it makes for what I call a proper Test match.
“First of all, they both deserve to be there. We've got a final between two very good teams. Knowing the Southampton ground as I do, I would expect it to be a proper game, a proper Test match," he said.
Gower’s thoughts on the WTC venue and strip
Gower opined that the Ageas Bowl pitch will be a surface that may offer something for the batsmen, seamers and also aid the spinners over the course of the game. He added that the pitch will be prepared reflecting the status of the game and give both sides a chance to use all facets.
“Whenever people talk about conditions for Test matches, you want something that gives something for the bowlers, something for a batsman, or something for the spinner. This is the template for all matches. And I think the pitch at Southampton will most likely offer that.
"So I think the fact that, for instance, India just won this last series largely (due to) spin. But we know that when conditions are different, there are some very good Indian pace bowlers (as well). So, you've got your three or four perfectly good seam bowlers, and if there's a bit of help they will do a good job,” he said.
Following their 3-1 series triumph over England at home earlier this year, India finished as the No.1 side in the WTC points table. Virat Kohli's men recorded 72.2 percentage points, booking a date with Kane Williamson's formidable Kiwi side in the WTC final.
Upon completion of the WTC final, India will take on England in a grueling five-match Test series, which starts on August 4.
Squad for the WTC final and the England series:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).
New Zealand's WTC squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, and Will Young.
Standby players:
Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla