India bowlers expect to face 'well prepared New Zealand' in WTC Final

The bowling trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammed Shami is looking forward to the upcoming contest and looked back their past performances in the tournament.

Ashwin expressed excitement over the context of the ICC WTC that has given Tests a new space to thrive in. “I think Test cricket is the ultimate form of sport that we have. It is also the greatest Test of a cricketer’s ability, mental space, and everything. For a long time, cricketers wanted this sort of space, some context to Test cricket,” said Ashwin.

The Indian pacers, Shami and Ishant looked back at the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy that was also crowned The Ultimate Test Series after 15 head-to-heads and over seven million votes cast across ICC’s social channels.

“There were no senior players in Australia but it was the best feeling to know what our youngsters are capable of achieving which is highly commendable. That point in the World Test Championship was able to shift the momentum in our favour,” said Shami.

“After that, a belief in the dressing room surged that this Indian team can come back from any position. This moment took Indian cricket into its next phase. I wasn’t a part of the series but I still believe that that series brought a refreshing self-belief in all of us,” added Ishant.

Ashwin further talked about the conditions in England and how New Zealand have an edge because of the two Tests they play against England. “When you talk about English conditions, there is a standard line, ‘conditions are king.’ I sometimes say it in a fun note that you don’t need to cover the ground or the pitch in England, you need to cover the clouds.”

“I expect a very well-planned and well-knit New Zealand team to come at us and obviously having played two Tests they will come with an advantage so, we have to adapt quicker,” he added.