If you think that WTC (World Test Championship) was just a sole test match and its result won’t matter much, you are wrong. This one-off test match between India Vs New Zealand has proved its relevance a way more than what fans and cricket analysts expected.
World Test Championship has noticeably impacted the world of cricket for good. It has revived fans’ renewed interest in test cricket.
Moreover, now all teams will play to the full of their potentials in order to make it to WTC’s top spot in its subsequent editions. Only continuous good performance for over 18–24 months at test cricket can help them earn that spot.
Top 5 Emerging Issue to Analyse After World Test Championship—2021
#5) New Zealand: The Best In The World
Believe it or not, any teams, not even their immediate neighbour, Australia, will ever take Black Caps lightly again. The silent yet resilient Kiwi team has proved once again that discipline and determination are still the keys to winning big matches.
They displayed great teamwork and concerted effort throughout the match before outwitting India at WTC 2021 at Rose Bowl, Southampton, without any fuss or hullabaloo.
New Zealand have been eyeing an ICC trophy for the last two decades. The last time New Zealand has won an ICC tournament was in 2000 when they beat India at ICC Championship Trophy in Nairobi.
However, they couldn’t win any subsequent editions of the ICC tournaments in the next two decades.
At present, New Zealand is enjoying the top spot (#1) in both ICC ODI and Test Ranking.
New Zealand Cricket Record Since 2000 (ICC Tournaments Only)
- ICC World Cup 2003—Didn’t Qualify Semi-Final Stage.
- ICC World Cup 2007—Lost to West Indies (Semi-Final).
- ICC World Cup 2011—Lost to Sri Lanka at Semi-Final.
- ICC World Cup 2015—Lost to Australia at Final.
- ICC World Cup 2019—Lost to England at Final.
- ICC T20 World Cup—Lost Semi-Finals in 2007 & 2016.
- ICC World Test Championship 2021—Beat India & Won The Tournament.
#4) Is Indian Cricket Team A Chocker?
The mighty Indians, who were the favourite to win the World Test Championship, lost their mojo midway in the match when India couldn’t even cross the 200-run mark in the second innings. What followed next was a complete disaster as Kiwis easily rout India without facing any challenges from the other side.
India’s one-sided defeat at the hands of KIWIS was bound to raise the eyebrows of fans and critics. Captain Virat Kohli is at the receiving end because India hasn’t won any big ICC tournament under his captaincy.
In fact, India’s last big finale win came against England at ICC T20 2013 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
ICC tournaments have continued to remain elusive for India since 2013. We haven’t won a single ICC tournament in the last eight years.
India At ICC Cricket Tournaments—Since 2000
- ICC World Cup 2003—Lost to Australia at Final
- ICC World Cup 2007—Didn’t Qualify Super 6 Round
- ICC World Cup 2011—Beat Sri Lanka And Won the Tournament
- ICC World Cup 2015—Lost to New Zealand at Semi-Final
- ICC World Cup 2015—Lost to England at Semi-Final
- ICC T20 World Cup—Won 2007 CT20 World Cup Beating Pakistan at Final
- ICC T20 World Cup 2016—Lost to West Indies by 7 wickets
- ICC Championship T20—India beat Sri Lanka at ICC Champions Trophy 2002
- ICC Championship T20 2013—India beat England at Final (Under MS Dhoni’s Captaincy)
#3) India’s Poor Record Against the Black Caps at ICC Events
One more reason behind India’s inconceivable defeat at WTC 2021 is their poor record against the Black Caps. In the last 18 years, India has beaten New Zealand only once at the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Since 2003, India has continued to lose matches against the Kiwis at all major ICC Championships.
India Vs New Zealand (Statistics Since 2003)
- 2007 World T20 League Match: New Zealand Beat India By 10 Runs.
- 2016 World T20 Match: New Zealand Beat India By 47 Runs.
- 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup: New Zealand Beat India by 18 Runs.
- 2020 World Test Championship (Two Test Series): India Lost Both of them against New Zealand.
#2) The Virat Kohli’s Captaincy Conundrum
India’s batting mainstay Virat Kohli is yet to establish himself as the adroit skipper of the Indian cricket team. We have been winning matches under his captaincy but couldn’t perform well at big matches of ICC tournaments.
This October, as World T20 2021 is set to be held in the UAE, India have a golden opportunity to prove its distracters and critics wrong. Virat Kohli must lead the side and show the world that he is equally strong as a captain too.
With 70 centuries and more than 23000 international runs, Virat Kohli doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. But it would be icing on the cake if his batting and captaincy help India win big matches at ICC events.
#1) Kane Williamson: The World Is At His Fingertips
Though much of the sports columns are analyzing why India lost WTC, somewhere far from the madding crowd, Kane Williamson is enjoying his sweet success. Kane Williamson, a gentleman extraordinaire, plays with the true spirit of cricket.
You saw him smile when Kiwis suffered heartbreak at ICC World Cup 2019 super over finale against England, and you can still see him smile when he led his side to a stunning victory against India at WTC. Kane Williamson is in a league of his own. With this win, he will be even revered more for his outstanding persona on and off the field.
Can you believe it? Since 2020, he has managed to keep his test average around 85! He has been in vehement form for the last few years with no indication to bow down anytime soon.
Kane Williamson is now taking New Zealand’s cricket culture to a greater height. He’s brave, calm, and most importantly, the nice guy to whom you’ll automatically shower your respect and admiration.
Kane Williamson is at the second spot (#2) in ICC Test Players Rankings. He has accumulated around 15000 runs in his international cricket career.
The Final Word
WTC is over. It has certainly dented India’s image as a champion team and also shaken the confidence of fans. Directly or indirectly, WTC has also compelled Indian skipper Virat Kohli to introspect where is he making mistakes? And why his strategies are not working at big ICC events?
Considering Kohli’s batting form and ICC rankings, he is fabulous. But as a captain, he has to work harder to carry MS Dhoni’s captaincy legacy forward.
In cricket, you don’t get too much time to celebrate a win or mourn a defeat. Accept both with a smile and move on. This is what Kane Williamson does and even Kohli’s predecessor MS Dhoni did. Kohli also needs to keep the bad memory of WTC behind and brace himself and team India up for the upcoming India-England bilateral test series and WT20 tournament later this year.
