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Wtc Final Sunil Gavaskar Not Buying Advantage New Zealand Argument

WTC Final | Sunil Gavaskar not buying 'advantage New Zealand' argument

Former Indian cricketer and batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar has dismissed ‘advantage New Zealand’ argument for the World Test Championship Final calling it a pessimist view. While experts have argued that the Kiwis would be better placed going into the WTC Final because of their two-match Test series against the English side, Gavaskar has quashed those claims.

In his recent column in The Telegraph, Gavaskar pointed out the flip side of playing the two Test matches in English conditions. The little master said that the Kiwis could be low on morale if they are whitewashed by England in that series.

"The flip side of playing those two Tests is that New Zealand could get beaten and thus be low on morale when they take on India and there could be some injuries and niggles to some of their key players which can happen in early June in England," Gavaskar said.

The 71-year-old further added that the Indian team would be fresher going into the final at Southampton and would love to play the sport after a gap of one month.

"The other factor that will work in the Indian team's favour is that they will be fresh and raring to go and that sheer energy and enthusiasm to be able to play the sport they love after a month's gap will more than make up for any lack of match practice," Gavaskar wrote.

Going into the final match, both India and New Zealand have form on their side. While the Kiwis have not lost a single series at home in their summer season, India come into the final after their historic win in Australia and ruthless victory against England in home conditions.

New Zealand would like to make the most of the two-match Test series and hope to get used to the conditions as much as they can. Having lost two ICC ODI World Cup finals in a row, the Kiwis would be coming into the game at full intensity.

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WTC Final: Advantage New Zealand reckons Brendon McCullum

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum believes that the Kiwis might have a 60-40 advantage over India in the World Test Championship because of the fact that they are getting a first-hand match experience in similar conditions with the two-match series they are playing against England. “I think 60-40 New Zealand. I think it is going to be close but the match practice that New Zealand are going to have against England leading to the Final could just tip them ahead. But it is going to be very close,” McCullum said in an interview with Sports Today. The Blackcaps will be involved with the English side in two Tests that fall right ahead of the WTC Final. The first Test begins on June 2 at the Lord’s while the second one starts on June 10 at Edgbaston. The WTC Final will begin on June 18 at Rosebowl in Southampton. The 39-year-old though refused to count Virat Kohli’s men out saying, “Just as New Zealand would respect India, as a fan I too shall respect India.” “It is because of how good the players they have and how competitive they are and the fighting spirit that they have. I think we are in for a ripping WTC Final and may the best team win,” added the Kolkata Knight Riders coach.

IPL 2021 | Non availability of foreigners an opportunity for Gill and Rana: McCullum

The non-availability of Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan is an opportunity for Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana to show their leadership skills feels Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum. Speaking to Sports Today on their YouTube channel, McCullum said that it would be tough on KKR if they miss out on the services of cool customers like Cummins and Morgan but at the same time this would be a good oppurtunity for the rest of the contingent to step up to the mantle. “They might not be ready for the responsibility just yet, but if we don't have the leaders there, then unfortunately someone’s got to step in and fill that void.” Taking the names of Gill and Rana, he said that those players will have to drag the rest of the team along and hope that they can make it to the playoffs. “They maybe have to play beyond their years and beyond their experience” McCullum agrees with people to a certain degree when they say that KKR have underperformed despite having quality players in their line-up during the first part of the Indian Premier League. However, the head coach felt that the team was breaking the shackles and shaving their insecurities just as the tournament came to a halt. Bringing up the context of their outing in 2014, McCullum said that he was looking forward to being at the pointy head of the market. He stated that just like 2014, the unit could potentially have done the unthinkable by winning the required number of games to qualify for the playoffs and then winning the ultimate prize. As things stand, KKR reel in the bottom half of the points table with just four points to their name from seven games. With IPL potentially restarting around 19 September, it is possible that KKR might miss out on key overseas players like captain Eoin Morgan and their most expensive recruit Pat Cummins.

Well prepared Ollie Robinson dreams of dismissing Kane Williamson ahead of potential Test debut

Brimming with confidence after a successful County season, Ollie Robinson has said that Kane Williamson would be his top target if he debuts against New Zealand. With the two-match Test series scheduled to begin on 2 July, Wednesday, both New Zealand and hosts England would be looking to unleash a pace heavy attack at Lord’s. "Swinging it away from him, setting him up, pulling him across the crease and then using the crease with the nip backer to get him LBW looks like a solid option,” Robinson said to Cricbuzz when asked about how would he like to target the Kiwi captain, one of the most prolific all format batters in the modern generation. Robinson has been around the English Test camp for a while now and is one of the high-rated swing bowlers in England. Towering at a height of 6’ 5”, Robinson, while not express, has troubled the batsmen in domestic conditions due to additional bounce he can extract. On top of his abilities to move the ball both ways, the 27-year old’s frame helps him to extract seam off the ground. This has helped the potential debutant scalp 214 First-Class wickets at a freakish average of 17.68. It is not only Robinson’s natural ability that helps his case. His former coach and former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has spoken widely about the Margate-born’s forensic ability to dissect batsmen. Earlier in April, Gillespie, who has 259 Test scalps to his name, told ESPNcricinfo that Robinson is one of the most researched bowlers he has ever worked with. "What I mean by that is he comes very prepared to every session, every team meeting, he does his research on the opposition batsmen, he watches a lot of footage, he pores over statistics, which may surprise a few people,” Gillespie had said. Barring his bowling abilities, Robinson’s inclusion bolsters up the English lower order, a trait that the Englishmen do not mind since 2015. The average of 22.2 in First-Class cricket with seven 50s and one hundred will do Robinson’s reputation a world of good ahead of the selection for the upcoming English summer.

CA remains non-committal on Aussie players’ availability for IPL’s UAE leg

The Australian players might not be available for the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League if Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley’s statements are anything to go by. Hockley, who was handed the full-time responsibility of the CEO earlier today, hinted that the players might not be willing to travel to UAE for the reaming part of the league. "Our players from the IPL only today came out of quarantine, so our first priority is to make sure they are reunited with their families and that they're safe and well," said Hockley in a media conference after assuming his office. “We've been texting, and I've spoken to a couple of the broader group, not just the players but there's commentators, match officials and physios. They are clearly quite shaken from the experience, very appreciative to be home back here in Australia,” he added. The Australian players and other members associated with the IPL 2021 in India, which has now been rescheduled for September 19-October 10 window in the UAE, got out of the hotel quarantine on May 31 only. Hockley is also more concerned about the team playing together and his next focus is the Kangaroos’ tour to the Caribbean. "We've obviously got a tour to prepare for in the West Indies but once they're out of quarantine and we get back together as a group, that (IPL participation) is something we'll need to discuss,’ said Hockley. Australia’s limited-overs tour to West Indies only begins on July 10 with the five T20Is in St. Lucia before they move to Barbados for the three ODIs. The team is likely to regroup around June 15 in Brisbane for practice before they head off to Wet Indies. "It's a couple of weeks before the West Indies touring party regroups at the National Cricket Centre [in Brisbane] and I think that's a time to re-focus," said Hockley. The CA also thanked the Australian government for its exemptions granted to those who have to leave Australia for work purposes. This way the Australian team will be eligible for the vaccine soon. “So now, once the players are out of quarantine, we will be working to offer them vaccinations before heading off to the West Indies,” said Hockley.