India vs New Zealand Highlights, WTC Final: Kohli, Rahane put India on front foot on curtailed Day 2

Tim Southee couldn't quite his radar right in the first over. There were a couple down the leg side and a couple way outside the off stump. Indian openers won't mind, they need to see off this new ball.

Runs straightaway! A gentle delivery from Tim Southee on the pads and easy pickings for Rohit. He flicks it away through the on side. The slow outfield means, it won't go all the way but enough for India to take 3 runs.

Indian openers out in the middle. We are seconds away from the first ball. Tim Southee has the new ball in hand, Rohit Sharma on strike Here we go!

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling is playing his last match for his country. The veteran cricketer had announced his retirement before arriving in England. He would want to go on a high by being crowned a WTC champion.

The players have made their way out. We are all set for the national anthems. First up, the national anthem of New Zealand.

Hopefully we can make the most of it. Saying that, wicket will be consistent throughout the game going by the cool weather. Have gone for four frontline seamers. No spinner. Great occasion and great challenge against the best team in the world. First time a WTC final, guys are really excited: NZ captain Kane Williamson at the toss.

"We would've probably bowled first as well. But runs on the board has been our strength. In a big final, runs on the board, however many, are an advantage. As you saw the makeup of our side, the balance is such that we prepare for any conditions. We've been performing really well in Test cricket. For us this is just a Test match we have to be professional in, have to follow our processes: India captain Virat Kohli at the toss.

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling(w), Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult

No changes in the Indian XI that was announced on Thursday. Two spinners and three seamers with Rishabh Pant at no.6

No spinners in the New Zealand side. Four specialist fast bowlers with Colin de Grandhomme as the fifth bowling option.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss opted to bowl first.

India head coach Ravi Shastri in an interview with Mike Atherton indicates that India might not change their XI. They might have thought about it had there been another washout today.

New-ball bowlers will enjoy bowling on it, there is a fair amount of grass on it and of course due to the overcast conditions, it will definitely swing. Seamers are expected to dominate. Try and leave as many deliveries as you can in the first hour if you are an opening batsman, try to be at the non-striker's end: Sunil Gavaskar and Simon Doull with their pitch report.

The toss will take place at 2:30 pm and play will be begin at 3:00 pm. And here are the session timings.

Session 1: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Lunch break 40minutes

Session 2: 5:40 pm to 7:55 pm (15 minutes extra)

Tea break 20 minutes

Session 3: 8:15 pm - 10:30 pm (15 minutes extra)

NOTE: Play can be extended for another 30 minutes if the scheduled 98 overs are not bowled by 10:30 pm.

Captain Virat Kohli is doing all the talking in the huddle at the moment, which is on the expected lines. What might he be saying to his teammates? Go out there and enjoy? The biggest match of your careers? Just another Test match? Take your guess. Your guess is just as good as ours.

'Generally you want to bat first in a Test match but both teams have good new-ball bowlers so they might think let's put the opposition under pressure by bowling first': Sunil Gavaskar.

Craig McMillan too feels it might not be a bad idea if captains opt to bowl first after winning the toss in the WTC final simply because it is cloudy and the wicket has been under covers for a long time.

Right, this is encouraging! We have live pictures, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and pretty much all the Indian cricketers are out in the middle having a little warm up and knocking.

Here come Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor too.

It does not look that bad from an Indian point of view to be honest. After the initial photos of Thursday and all the rain since then, we surely were expecting a much greener strip but it does not look that menacing on the surface area , at least if we go only by the colour of the surface. There is, however, some grass for sure.

Unlike India, the Kiwis have kept their cards close to their chests as far as their playing XI for the WTC final is concerned. And after the heavy rain yesterday and grim forecast for the rest of the five days, New Zealand will surely be thinking to play four seamers here. Ajaz Patel is the lone spinner in their side, who make no mistake, is a very capable wicket-taker but the presence of Pant and Jadeja, who are severe against left-arm spinners and of course the weather conditions may keep him away from the XI.

It has become a bit cloudy currently at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton but thankfully, there is NO RAIN! And kudos to the groundstaff for it making it ready for action after more than 24 hours of non-stop rain.

Right then, back to cricket! What an exciting match-up we have today. Yes all the drama and excitement faced the rain roadblock on Day 1 but we've waited for more than 100 years for a world title for Test cricket and here we are. The WTC final is about the see the light of the day, like literally.

India's legendary Milkha Singh passed away late on Friday night due to post Covid-19 complications. He was 91. Here is how the Indian cricketing fraternity remembered the icon.

"A legacy that inspired a whole nation to aim for excellence. To never give up and chase your dreams. Rest in Peace #MilkhaSingh ji Folded hands. You will never be forgotten," tweeted captain Virat Kohli.

"India’s greatest @Olympics runner. Shook the world in 60s with his competitive spirit inspite of the most limited facilities. He took the word determination and will to compete to another level. Respect," tweeted India head coach Ravi Shastri.

"Rest in Peace our very own ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh ji.

Your demise has left a deep void in every Indian’s heart today, but you shall keep inspiring several generations to come," tweeted Sachin Tendulkar.

"Extremely saddened by this news ..RIP ,India's one of the greatest sportsman..you have made young Indians dream of becoming an athlete..had the privilege of knowing you so closely," tweeted Sourav Ganguly.

"#MilkhaSingh ji's journey and contribution to Indian sports will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family. RIP SirFolded hands," tweeted Umesh Yadav.

If India fielding coach R Sridhar's words were anything go by in the virtual press conference after the Day 1 washout, then it is unlikely that India will change their XI that includes two spinners as they believe, it is an XI that takes the conditions out of the equation. Fair enough, but that is like saying 'Titanic can't sink, it simply can't.' The weather forecast still suggests plenty of rain store for the next four-five days and we all know what happens when it is overcast in England. What will two spinners do to exploit those conditions? Maybe an extra batsman or even another seamer Mohammed Siraj might not be a bad idea.