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WTC Final - 'It is advantage New Zealand': Laxman on India losing toss
WTC Final toss: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field first.
The World Test Championship (WTC) Final finally gets underway on Saturday, after the first day's play was washed out due to rain and it is New Zealand captain Kane Williamson who won the toss and decided to bowl first in conditions that will definitely suit his seam bowlers.
Virat Kohli and his men will bat first in testing conditions but the Indian captain said that he and his team will be looking to put the runs on the board to put pressure on the opposition.
India vs New Zealand WTC Final Live updates Day 2
New Zealand has gone in with four pace bowlers in Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson and also have the medium pace option of Colin de Grandhomme. The likes of Southee, Boult and Jamieson got the better of India's batsmen in similar conditions on India's tour of New Zealand in early 2020 and it will be an uphill task for India's batsmen to survive in these conditions.
Former Indian Test batsman VVS Laxman opined that the Indian team has a lot of depth in its batting due to the addition of both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in the playing XI, but he also said that winning toss and bowling first is an advantage for Williamson's team as they have picked their playing XI according to the conditions.
"There is talent, class and experience in India's batting line-up. As far as the advantage is concerned, yes, New Zealand's strength as Kane (Williamson) mentioned at the toss has been their fast bowling department. They have performed consistently and these conditions suit their fast bowling department," Laxman said on Star Sports' show Cricket Live.
"They have gone in with four quality fast bowlers and the challenge each one poses is different. They have a left-arm seamer in Boult, Southee takes the ball away from the right hander. Jamieson gets that extra bounce and Wagner can bowl a lot of short pitched stuff.
"So, overall there is an advantage to New Zealand, but having said that India has quality and experience in their batting which can counter that advantage," he added.
