WTC Final: 5 batsmen who could score the most runs
India feel that a best-of-three World Test Championship (WTC) final would have been 'ideal'. The International Cricket Council (ICC) says it's not 'realistic' to spare a whole month of the calendar for just two teams. New Zealand, as always, couldn't care less. They'll take half a game if it isn't decided by boundary count.
But it's one game, one grand finale. Two innings for 22 players to leave an indelible mark in the history of Test cricket. For Virat Kohli, it's an opportunity to lift his maiden ICC trophy and emerge out of MS Dhoni's shadow. For Kane Williamson, it would be a just reward for being a gentleman in the gentleman's game.
Both Kohli and Williamson must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when the curator for the WTC final said that he would deliver a pitch with 'some pace, bounce and carry' and not simply a green-top. An even contest between bat and ball would not only be good for the future of Test cricket but also for Kohli and Williamson to lead their teams from the front.
However, there are a few other players in both teams who could be key in the outcome of the WTC final in Southampton.
The average opening stand produces 21.6 runs in Southampton. Every wicket yields an average of 33.58 runs. Both spinners and pacers have tasted almost equal success at the venue, even though the highest individual score on the ground is 267. Southampton isn't a batting paradise but tends to reward batters for their patience.
On that note, let's have a look at five players who could emerge as the top scorer in the WTC final.
#1 Cheteshwar Pujara (India)
There's no one better to play the patient game than Cheteshwar Pujara. The Wall 2.0's impregnable defence and a rock-solid technique could go a long way in protecting the middle order comprising Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant from the shiny Dukes ball in the WTC final.
The right-hander has done it in Southampton before as well. In 2018, he scored over 48% of India's first innings total of 273 against Jimmy Anderson and co. His fabulous knock of 132 off 257 deliveries was what kept India afloat in that game until the final day.
Moreover, the last time India faced New Zealand, Pujara looked the most adept in countering their diverse pace attack. He'll bank on that experience and his happy memories at the ground to get India off to a good start in the big game. New Zealand, who'll leave no stone unturned in their homework about Pujara, will be wary of Pujara's threat going into the WTC final.
#2 Henry Nicholls (New Zealand)
Henry Nicholls is the glue that has kept the New Zealand batting together in the past few years. He is an underrated version of Pujara. The left-hander has scored over 1800 Test runs since 2017, doing so at an average of 51.29, which is only behind that of Kohli, Steve Smith and Williamson.
A gutsy, studious middle-order batsman, Nicholls has the game to thwart India in the WTC final. Even if India are able to strike early with the new ball, Nicholls has the ability to shut shop and bide his time before opening up with shots all over the ground.
He is coming off a good run as well. In the recent series against England, the 29-year-old was the third-highest scorer for New Zealand, scoring 105 runs in three innings. Every time Williamson and Ross Taylor failed, Nicholls was there to get the job done with the New Zealand tail.
Jasprit Bumrah and co. will have to be wary of Nicholls quietly taking the WTC final away from India.
#3 Shubman Gill (India)
Shubman Gill has only played two Test series, but he has already experienced contrasting fortunes. In Australia, he joined hands with Rohit Sharma to solve the team's long-standing opening conundrum in away Tests.
Gill played a key knock of 91 on the final day of the famous Gabba triumph. But against England at home, when many expected him to build on his Australia exploits, he faltered and mustered an underwhelming 119 runs in seven innings.
Would English conditions bring out the best in Gill? He has the technique to adapt - 175 runs in two under-19 'Tests', including a ton - and the poise to perform under pressure. With Rohit Sharma at the other end and Pujara to follow next, Gill's task could be made easier, as the New Zealand bowlers could be more focussed on the senior pros than the 21-year-old in the WTC final.
Gill is in good recent touch; he was the second-highest run-scorer in the practice game, scoring a 'steady' 85 off 135 deliveries. If he can get off to a good start against Boult and Southee in the WTC final, Gill could flourish against Ajaz Patel and the third pacer and score big.
#4 Devon Conway (New Zealand)
Devon Conway announced himself with a scintillating double hundred on debut at Lord's against James Anderson and Stuart Broad. So he would definitely be someone to watch out for in the WTC final.
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Conway's coach likened his ward to a combination of Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja. If that is indeed the case, India could have a tough task in keeping the left-hander quiet in the WTC final.
Apart from his imperious debut and a brilliant 80 in the second Test against England, Conway has an impressive 7436 First-Class runs in 110 games at an average of just under 48. He is an adept player of swing and seam and has a knack of taking the attack to the spinners.
Conway is one of the few players in the New Zealand lineup whom Virat Kohli and co. haven't come up against before. He may be only two Tests old, but Conway has already shown his penchant to spend his time in the middle and score big. If India do not get him out early, they could be in for a torrid time in the WTC final.
#5 Rishabh Pant (India)
Experts have compared Rishabh Pant with Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist. He played a key role in India drawing the Sydney Test; Pant scored the winning runs in the Gabba heist. He scored a match-winning hundred in the next series at home against England and captained an IPL team to the top of the table.
In other words, Pant has had an eventful last few months across formats. There has been a lot of talk about India's unpreparedness going into the WTC final. But Pant announced his intentions by scoring a 94-ball 121* in the practice match.
He looked as good as ever in glimpses of that knock shared by the BCCI - uncorking cut shots against pacers, hitting spinners for sixes with ease and also playing a few defensive strokes full of conviction.
The last time Rishabh Pant played a Test in England, he scored a 146-ball 114, giving India a glimmer of hope in a game that seemed lost for a long time.
New Zealand will come hard at Pant and attack him more than they would any other batsman. But if the left-hander bides his time and waits for the right ball to attack, as he has shown in his last few innings, there could be no stopping Pant playing a key knock in the WTC final.