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Standing up here feels surreal: Man of the Match Kyle Jamieson after winning the WTC Final

Kyle Jamieson was short of words, he stuttered a bit, maybe in search of words for what he had achieved in such a young career of his. becoming Man of the Match in the greatest Test match ever to be played in the game of cricket is after all no mean feat. But when he did speak, his voice was as confident as his spell in the first innings. 

“To have something of this context in Test cricket is massive, and to be standing up here is surreal,” said the six-foot eight-inch framed man who swings the ball like a feather. Jamieson, who picked up his fifth five-wicket haul in only his eighth Test, was pleased with his skipper showing great confidence in him. “It was nice to get the ball first up and to play a part, I guess,” he said on his first innings performance while speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony at Southampton.

While in the first innings it was his 5-31 that lifted the team, in the second innings, he did an even exceptional job, removing the Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in the first hour of play on the last day of the match to give his team the advantage. 

“We knew we had a big first hour, and just to see how things panned out. We were hoping they might pan out our way if we put the ball in the right place, but we knew this is a quality Indian team as well,’ he said. 

Modesty is the name of the game it seems in New Zealand. Even the 26-year-old Jameison was modest enough to credit his senior fast bowlers Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner for all his achievements “The work that Tim, Trent, Wags do, I just ride in on the back of that,” he said. 

Talking about removing the opposition skipper and arguably the best batsman in the world right now, Virat Kohli in both the innings, Jamieson said he was thrilled to have done that.

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WTC Final | Relentless Kiwis punish India, redeem themselves with first ICC title in decades

A calm and composed partnership between two senior pros Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor made 139 runs target set by India a fairly one-sided contest and clinched the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship for New Zealand. Ravichandran Ashwin used all the tricks and guile he had up his sleeve to bring India into reckoning with the big wickets of Tom Latham and Devon Conway, but the pair of Williamson and Taylor was too disciplined early on and lucky to be dismissed. In the end, in the most fitting way, Ross Taylor clipped Mohammed Shami over the in-field to score the winning runs and win New Zealand their first ICC title since 1999. However, the biggest henchmen for New Zealand’s were the bowlers, who never allowed India to get away with a flow of runs or an extended period of partnership. The day started on a rather inauspicious note for India as Virat Kohli, who appeared tentative in search of that nip backer that found him plumb in the first innings, edged behind to Watling behind the wicket on delivery he could have left it easily if not for the baggage of the first innings. The day went from bad to worse for Indians as Cheteshwar Pujara too fell for a similar dismissal by poking Jamieson to Ross Taylor at the first slip. Things could have been far worse than it actually turned out but Tim Southee spilt a sitter off the edge of Rishabh Pant’s bat. Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and Pant started bringing India back on track but after the right-hander found a loss delivery outside off stump, he was strangled down the leg side off Trent Boult. Rahane’s departure led to an outrageous attempt of counter-attacking by Rishabh Pant, who went down the track to hit pacers over the top on numerous occasions but it was not to be for India. Ravindra Jadeja joined Pant to take India to the lunch interval with the lead in the range of 100 runs. But, just when Jadeja looked settled at the crease, Williamson switched to his tormentor-in-chief Wagner from round the wicket and he set up Jadeja with discipline and perseverance. Pant’s remarkable attempt to hit bowlers off their length did not pay off today and India’s lower-order batsmen were left helpless in the hands of the dominating New Zealand bowling lineup. In the end, India were bundled out for 170 runs and New Zealand had a clear target in their sight to lift the much-vaunted ICC Mace, and Williamson played a chanceless innings to deny India any opportunity to get back in the game. Taylor took a long time to get off the mark after walking out to the bat when the Blackcaps needed 93 runs but finally opened up his shoulders against the off-spin of Ravi Ashwin. He also offered a chance to Pujara at the first slip off Bumrah but India’s number three compounded poor batting performances by dropping a straightforward chance. Kyle Jamieson broke the backbone of India’s batting in both innings with the big wickets of Kohli, Pujara and Rohit Sharma and also played a handy knock with the bat to help New Zealand achieve a lead of 32 runs in the first innings, and was rightfully awarded with the Player of the Match award in the end.

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The way this team fought, it’s something I’ll never forget: Ross Taylor on winning WTC Final

Ross Taylor has been part of the New Zealand side which lost the semi-final in the 2007 ODI World Cup, of the side which lost the semi-final once again in the 2007 T20 World Cup, in 2011 ODI World Cup, 2015 World Cup Final and the latest a boundaries count loss in the 2019 World Cup Final. It was finally redemption day for him and his team New Zealand when they won the inaugural World Test Championship at Hampshire Bowl, Southampton. For Taylor, it was the winning mentality and never give up attitude of the team that got them to their first World title. Talking in an interview post-match, the 37-year-old said, “A lot of rain but the way the team fought from day one, to be out there in a crucial situation for a little bit, it's something I'll never forget.” Talking about the feeling of finally being World Champion, Taylor, who completed 18,000 runs in international cricket in this very match said, “Still sinking in but it's been a couple of years coming. This would have to be the highlight of my career.” Taylor, who made his Test debut in 2007 and was made the skipper of the Test team and then removed unceremoniously just before the now ‘iconic’ Capetown Test which led to the reconstruction of the is team, maybe from their own ‘Ashes’ of a sort, couldn’t be happier to win a World title with this team. “At the start of my career, I felt we probably didn't have the side to do this. But am sure there are a few Kiwis waking up who will be very proud,” said Taylor. The first person of Samoan descent to represent a New Zealand cricket team, Taylor felt that this Trophy more than made up for the World Cup loss two years ago. “There was a lot of pressure, it was nice to be standing up to it. 2019 World Cup was something that was very tough for us at the time, but this makes up for that. Over time, it'll sink in a little more,” he said before signing off. Taylor played an important knock in the second innings when New Zealand chased down 139. Taylor remained unbeaten on 47 and fittingly hit the winning four. He added unbeaten 96 runs for the fourth wicket alongside skipper Kane Williamson having come at a troubling situation with New Zealand at 44-2 and Ravichandran Ashwin firing all cylinders.

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WTC Final | 'Ecstatic' BJ Watling walks away from international cricket with 'special' achievement

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling had well in advance announced the plans of hanging his boots after the tour of England which were to end with the World Test Championship final against India. As New Zealand humbled India to clinch the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship, Watling did not hide his ‘ecstatic’ feeling while taking to the official broadcaster Star Sports. He said that the target of 139 runs could well have been a trickier target if not for the ‘two of our greatest’ in Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, who put on an unbeaten partnership to take the Blackcaps over the finishing line. He also said that the finish of his career with a world champions New Zealand side was not something that he did ‘imagine’ while starting off his international career. "Ecstatic. Been a lot of hard work over a long period of time as a group. To get over the line is special. Chasing a total like that on a wicket that was offering a bit, was special from two of our greatest. No, I didn't imagine I'd end as a World Test Champion,” Watling said. He thanked his family and friends, especially his mother, and wife for standing by him in tough times throughout a ‘hell of a journey.’ He also thanked his New Zealand mates of a ‘special’ group that carried the team to a great finish in the World Test Championship final against India. My family back home, my mum has stood up for me in tough times, my wife Jess and the two boys - a thank you to all of them. It's been a hell of a journey. Huge support over the years from my mates. We've got a special group, this is a great way to finish,” Watling concluded. Watling made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2009 and went on to become one of the longest-serving gloveman for the Blackcaps with 74 appearances in the longest format.