WTC Final: How the current Indian batting line-up has fared against New Zealand in Tests
The top two teams in the current ICC Test rankings, New Zealand and India, will face off in an epic battle for the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) on Friday. The Ageas Bowl in Southampton will provide the backdrop for this high-profile contest.
Both teams appear evenly matched in both the batting and bowling departments. Premier batsman of this generation, Williamson and Kohli, will lead their nations in the summit clash. The duo will be looking to marshal their troops from the front by performing well with the bat.
Irrespective of the venue and the country they're playing in, scoring a substantial amount of runs in the first innings is very important for any side. It usually puts scoreboard pressure on opponents and gives them an early edge in the contest. Team India management will also devise plans accordingly and hope for a collective performance from their batting unit in the upcoming Test.
On that note, let's have a look at how Indian batsmen have fared against New Zealand in Tests so far.
Stats of India's current batsmen against New Zealand in Tests
Rohit Sharma: Matches - 5 | Runs - 360 | HS - 82 | Average - 60 | 50's - 4 | 100's - 0
Cheteshwar Pujara: Matches - 9 | Runs - 749 | HS - 159 | Average - 46.81 | 50's - 4 | 100's - 2
Virat Kohli: Matches - 9 | Runs - 773 | HS - 211 | Average - 51.53 | 50's - 3 | 100's - 3
Ajinkya Rahane: Matches - 7 | Runs - 600 | HS - 188 | Average - 50 | 50's - 1 | 100's - 2
Rishabh Pant: Matches - 2 | Runs - 60 | HS - 25 | Average - 15 | 50's - 0
Ravindra Jadeja: Matches - 6 | Runs - 236 | HS - 50* | Average - 47.20 | 50's - 1
Ravichandran Ashwin: Matches - 6 | Runs - 144 | HS - 40 | Average - 24 | 50's - 0
Wriddhiman Saha: Matches - 3 | Runs - 112 | HS - 58* | Average - 112 | 50's - 2
Hanuma Vihari : Matches - 2 | Runs - 86 | HS - 55 | Average - 21.50 | 50's - 1
The cornerstones of the Indian batting line-up, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Cheteshwar Pujara, have an excellent record while playing against the Kiwis in Tests. But most of their significant knocks against New Zealand came while playing at home.
Nonetheless, the experienced quartet will need to take some confidence from their earlier achievements and churn out match-defining knocks for the country in the WTC final.
More often than not, India ends up on the winning side when someone in the top order scores significantly. The India team management and cricket enthusiasts around the globe will hope for notable contributions from these stalwarts at Southampton.
Rishabh Pant and Hanuma Vihari's stats aren't quite as easy on the eye as compared to others on this list. The duo were part of the India side that crashed to a disastrous defeat in the Test series in New Zealand last year. The talented middle-order batsmen will try to improve their record against New Zealand if they get an opportunity in the upcoming game.