• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Yuvraj Singh Gives New Zealand Edge Over India Supports 3 Match Series As Wtc Final

Yuvraj Singh gives New Zealand 'edge' over India, supports 3-match series as WTC final

Former India player Yuvraj Singh has echoed India head coach Ravi Shastri's suggestion that the World Test Championship final should have been a three-match contest as it will allow the team that did not start well an opportunity to come back. 

“I feel in a situation like this, there should be a best of 3 Tests, because if you lose the first one then you can come back in the next two. India will have a slight disadvantage because New Zealand are already playing Test cricket in England,” Yuvraj told ‘Sports Tak’.

He also said that for that reason and the lack of match practice before the one-off game, New Zealand will have an upper hand over India in the marquee clash.

“There are 8-10 practice sessions but there’s no substitute for match-practice. It will be an even contest but New Zealand will have an edge,” he said.

However, he did not downplay India's strength and recognised their strengths after heroic wins away from India. 

“I do believe India is very strong because lately we have been winning outside the country. I think our batting is stronger, in bowling they are at par,” he said.

India and New Zealand will lock horns in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in Southampton scheduled to begin on June 18. 

The Blackcaps are currently battling out against England in a two-Test series. While the first clash was held at Lord’s, the second game will be played at Edgbaston beginning on June 10.    

Discover more
Top Stories
news

One's a go-getter, the other a slow burner: Mike Hesson on Kohli vs Kane ahead of WTC Final

Former New Zealand coach and current coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mike Hesson wants to see Indian top order batting fighting it out against the New Zealand pace attack at a swinging Southampton pitch in the inaugural World Test Championship Final. "I am keen to see how India's top-order fares against the swinging ball. The ball does a bit in Southampton and as the cross breeze comes into play -- it can be a challenge for the batsmen,” Hesson was quoted as saying by Times of India. “How the Indian top-order plays the NZ pacers could decide the outcome of the WTC final," he added. Hesson who guided the Blackcaps to the 2015 World Cup Final, believes that this contest at a neutral venue would be an ideal situation to have an even contest between the two teams. "They are even. The fact that it's being played in a neutral venue makes the WTC final an even contest,” he said, before adding how brilliant New Zealand have been over the last 5-7 years period. “We (New Zealand) are in our third final after the 2015 ODI World Cup followed by the 2019 WC in England. The Black Caps are a top-quality side who have played quality cricket for a long period of time,” said the 46-year-old former Kenya coach. Talking about the captaincy styles of Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli, both of whom have played considerable aunt of cricket under his tutelage, Hesson called Kane a slow burner and Kohli a go-getter. "Kane is more of a slow-burn in the sense that he likes to put pressure over a period of time. Virat, on the other hand, is constantly looking for ways to put his side in the driver's seat. The WTC final will be a test of captaincy for both Kane and Virat,” he said. "As the wicket changes from day to day, it will be interesting to see how both Kane and Virat make those little tweaks in their strategies to stay ahead of the game,” added the coach. The Final begins on June 18

news

Finances are hugely important for us from PSL: PCB CEO

The Pakistan Super League is finally going to resume on June 9 in Abu Dhabi. The tournament was suspended due to rise in Covid-19 cases within the franchise sides. The Pakistan Cricket Board CEO Wasim Khan in an interview with Cricbuzz has said that the PSL is a marquee event for them and it was important for the board to complete the 2021 edition. “Of course, the finances are important but as important is the fact that it's a marquee event for us. From a finance point of view, it is not the be-all and end-all of everything. Every cricket board relies heavily on ICC funding, ICC distributions and broadcasting revenues. We have two to three fixed sources of income that come in as revenue.” Wasim Khan admitted that there is a huge importance of the PSL as far as the finances are concerned. Finances are hugely important for us from PSL, but more importantly, it is a marquee tournament for us on an annual basis which has been built up since 2016. Franchises have invested a lot of time, money and effort into HBL PSL, which is important on a number of levels. From that point of view, it is very important for us to make it happen,” he said. The PSL was earlier put to a halt but was then scheduled to resume in Karachi from June 1 with all the matches to be played at the same venue including the final. But the franchises requested the PCB to move it out of Pakistan citing the Covid-19 situation in the country. The PCB though faced some problems with the logistics throughout the later half of May and then in the first couple of days in June before the dates for the tournament’s resumption could finally be announced. There were visa-related issues for the players travelling from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi while the support staff was also not allowed to take the flight because of lack of clearances.

news

'Disappointed' on exclusion from England tour, Kuldeep Yadav 'hoping' to go on tour of Sri Lanka

India left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has not had a lot of opportunities on the field in recent times and spinners who came behind him in the Indian team have gone on to strengthen their place in the squad. He was not given an opportunity to play at the Gabba against England when he was the only spinner left among the main squad members and the trend continued in the home series against England as well when India preferred to have Axar Patel, Shahbaz Nadeem, and Washington Sundar over him for the three Tests of the series. Now, he has been excluded from the tour of the United Kingdom where India will play the World Test Championship and a five-match series against England and unsurprisingly, the spinner has expressed his disappointment over the exclusion. “I am disappointed not to be part of the Indian team because I wanted to go and perform and contribute to the team’s win. These things happen, yes you are sad, but at the same time you are ready to perform in the next opportunity,” Kuldeep told India News. However, he has not given hope of a quick comeback into the Indian team and hoping to return to the white-ball sides for the tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for next month. “I didn’t go there (UK), so hopefully I will go to Sri Lanka and get the chance to perform there. Cricket should continue happening, every player is sad when he is not in the team, everyone wants to remain in the team but sometimes the situation is such that you are not part of the team,” Kuldeep added. India are scheduled to travel to Sri Lanka for a T20 and ODI series and it could provide a massive window of opportunity for Kuldeep Yadav to reclaim his position in the Indian dressing room.