India and New Zealand will square off in the WTC final in Southampton from June 18-22.
Premier Australian pacer Pat Cummins feels that New Zealand will have an edge over India in the ICC World Test Championships final.
Team India and New Zealand are all set to lock horns with each other in the final of WTC between 18-22th June at Rose Bowl in Southampton.
Before the WTC final, Kane Williamson-led New Zealand will face England in the two-match Test series which be the ideal preparation for them while Virat Kohli-led Team India will have practice sessions before heading into the final of the ICC event.
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In a question-and-answer session with fans on Youtube, premier Australian pacer Pat Cummins said that conditions will favor New Zealand because it’ll be similar to what they have in-home.
“It is going to be a good match. I think there has been a lot of rain in England from what I have seen in the news. I think, in terms of conditions, it is probably close to New Zealand conditions,” Pat Cummins said in a question-and-answer session with fans on Youtube.
Pat Cummins further said that it’ll be interesting to see because both teams will play a Test match after a couple of months. He further remarked that conditions will probably suit New Zealand more than India.
“We have seen both teams not having played Test matches for a couple of months. So, it is a one-off. Anything can happen. I will sit on the fence. If I say anything, the conditions should probably suit New Zealand more than India,” he said.
Cummins said that he liked the concept of WTC and rued missing out on the final.
“It is annoying Covid-19 made it a bit more difficult but it is great. I really enjoyed the whole aspect of it. Each series stands for something a little bit more than just the series itself and added a different dimension.
“I really liked the format. Unfortunately, we missed the series. So, we didn’t have the six series leading to the final but I do enjoy the concept,” he said.
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Talking about India’s Test win in Gabba earlier this year, Pat Cummins said that they did everything according to the plan but India played beautifully. He admitted that with 7-8 wickets needed to win it wasn’t easy for them.
“Our record is very good at Gabba. I thought we had cracks in it and that it is going to be perfect for Day 5. Everything went to plan and then obviously India played beautifully and felt confident after SCG where they had hung in there. We needed 7-8 wickets. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, wish we took a few more wickets,” he concluded.
Pat Cummins however, is the leading wicket-taker in the WTC with 70 scalps from 14 Tests. The pacer could be overtaken by India’s off-spinner R Ashwin in the final, who is three short of the mark with 67 wickets in 13 Tests.
(PTI inputs)