WTC final: Tim Southee's best spell against India so far
Cricket fans all over the world are going to witness high-intensity action on Wednesday. The game is poised evenly for the last day of the WTC final. The draw is still not a certainty as New Zealand have the chance to bundle out India for a paltry score and then chase down the target to win the final.
Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson's performances will be critical for the Kiwis on the last day. They will have to continue their good form to try and dismiss India as early as possible. If they succeed in that job, New Zealand's chances of winning the World Test Championship will enhance significantly.
India, on the other hand, has minimal chances of winning the game on Day 6. To do that, they need to score runs quickly and declare, hoping to get ten Kiwi wickets in the remaining overs. It is a far-fetched thought at the moment.
On that note, here we revisit Southee's best spell against India:
Southee's marathon spell helped New Zealand to get a lead in the second innings of the 2012 Bengaluru Test
Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was the venue for the second Test of New Zealand's tour of India in 2012. Taking advantage of batting-friendly conditions on the first day, Ross Taylor opted to bat first after winning the toss.
Ross Taylor(113 in 127 balls) shepherded his troops from the front by scoring an aggressive century. Martin Guptil(53), Kruger van Wyk(71), and Bracewell(43) played supporting roles to their skipper. Pragyan Ojha's(5/99) wonderful spell helped India restrict the Kiwis to 365 in the first innings.
In reply, Team India quickly lost their first four wickets and were struggling at 80/4 at one stage. Virat Kohli(103), Suresh Raina(55), and MS Dhoni(62) rescued the Indian innings. India eventually managed to post 353 on the board and conceded a paltry 12-run lead to their opponents.
Tim Southee(7/64) was the wreaker-in-chief for New Zealand as he picked up seven crucial wickets to dent the progress of the Indian innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin(5/69) and Ojha(2/49) spun a web around New Zealand and restricted them to 248 in their second innings. Allrounder James Franklin(41) was the top scorer for New Zealand in the second installment.
India then chased down the target of 261 in 63.2 overs with a collective effort from batsmen to win the match convincingly. Virat Kohli(51) and MS Dhoni(48) remained unbeaten to finish the game without any hiccups at the end.