The cricket fans and experts are eagerly waiting for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, slated to be played between India and New Zealand in Southampton from June 18-22.
While the Kiwis are going into the marquee game on the back of a 1-0 series win over England, Virat Kohli and company are relying on intra-squad match and training sessions to get themselves ready for the all-important clash.
On the eve of the match, former cricketer Yuvraj Singh has said that New Zealand hold a bit of advantage after playing two Tests against England but he reckons Team India too have a number of match-winners who can change the game in a session.
"Definitely, my favourites will always be India. New Zealand has the advantage after winning the Test series against England, they have had more time on the park, they played two Test matches. They have had more time over there and India had one practice game over there. I think cricket is a great sport, one day or one session can change the game around. India has a lot of match-winners in their squad," Yuvraj told ANI in an exclusive chat.
Sharing his expectations from the WTC final, he added: "You never know, hopefully, it would be an exciting Test match. Sometimes you feel Test cricket is dying but then you see India winning in Australia and Test cricket is revived again. We see New Zealand beat England in England, nothing like Test cricket, probably the best format I have watched and I have played."
When asked whether winning the WTC title has the same significance as the 50-over World Cup, Yuvraj said: "I don't know. I feel the 50-over World Cup has a lot of history, Test cricket obviously has more history but the WTC is happening for the first time. Getting the number one spot is a big thing. But I cannot really compare winning the World Cup and WTC because I have not been part of both things.”
"Like Virat Kohli would be in a better position or Rohit Sharma would be in a better position to explain that. I would say Virat more because he has won the World Cup, he was in the 2011 squad, and then if given the WTC, he is the captain. He would have a taste of both experiences so he would be in a better position to compare those two titles," he explained.
Before departing for England, India coach Ravi Shastri has said that WTC final should be a three-match affair, which he believes is an ideal assessment of a team's performance graph over a two-year period.
Echoing Shastri’s opinion, Yuvraj said: "WTC should have at least three Test matches, the other team needs to have the opportunity of coming back. What happens in a World Cup, you get one final. The World Cup is going on, every team is used to the conditions, they have played cricket and then they have reached the finals. If you give a three-match championship, that gives you an even contest. As I said New Zealand has an edge because they have played in England, but three-Test matches would be the ideal championship."
While Yuvraj believes that a lot will depend on conditions, he pointed out spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja’s contributions with both bat and ball in India’s Test dominance lately.
"It generally depends on the conditions, if it is a seaming track, then you play an extra seamer. I feel that you need to pick your best five bowlers, why India has been doing well in Test cricket is because Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have been good with the bat as well, so that is why, playing an extra batsman, you play your best five bowlers. Two spinners and three pacers, you need to take 20 wickets to win the Test. In England, the ball moves around, so I feel you have to pick your best batters and best bowlers," he remarked.
(With ANI inputs)
