New Zealand captain Kane Williamson reckoned that the premier clash between New Zealand and India in the final of the World Test Championship in Southampton will be a ‘fantastic challenge’ that his side is looking forward to dearly.
While India finished at the top of the table, New Zealand finished second and as a result, the two teams will collide at the Ageas Bowl to determine the winners of the inaugural cycle of the World Test Championship.
Kane Williamson called the experience of playing against India as ‘really exciting.’ “When we play against India, it has always been a fantastic challenge and so it is really exciting to be playing against them,” Williamson said in a video posted by the ICC. “It’s really, really exciting to be involved in the final, obviously to win it would be that much better.”
Ahead of the final, Williamson was also appreciative of the World Test Championship that set up many quality contests. “We saw the contests in the WTC has brought real excitement … the games were really tight such as in the India-Australia series and our series against Pakistan as well where you had to really fight hard to get the results, which is really great,” Kane Williamson added.
Kiwi fast bowler Neil Wagner noted that India’s pace attack could offer several challenges to their batsmen. He also mentioned that the conditions in England will play a big role in the final. “India has a lot of quality fast bowlers who have done well in different conditions, they can swing (the ball) under overcast conditions but when the sun comes out it (wicket) is flat and nothing happens, ” the pacer said.
India batsman Hanuma Vihari also echoed similar sentiment regarding the weather conditions in England. During his short-lived stint with Warwickshire, Vihari had a first-hand experience of the early English conditions. He mentioned that the conditions can change very quickly but he’s only focusing on what’s under his control.
“(English) Conditions can change throughout and so I am not getting carried away too much, trying to control the controllable. I am excited but I would want to be in that moment and not get too carried away by the importance of the situation,” the 27-year-old added.
