The World Test Championship (WTC) final clash between India and New Zealand would start on Friday at Southampton. Thus, the two and a half years WTC cycle would culminate with the marquee event.
While the Black Caps recently leapfrogged India to occupy the numero-uno spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Rankings, India are placed at the number two position.
Virat Kohli & Co. announced their playing XI on Thursday and would look forward to improve their chances of taking home the silverware.
Cricket fans and experts are excited to witness the much-anticipated contest.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a motivational video hours before the grand event in which India’s head coach Ravi Shastri was seen applauding the players after their historic win at the Gabba against Australians during the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020/21.
India had a poor start to the Australian tour as they were dismissed for just 36 runs in the second innings of the first red-ball match, and the campaign was later rugged with injuries to the main players that had almost slimmed their chances of emerging victories.
But the young guns didn’t lose hope and upended the hosts at Gabba, where the latter hadn’t lost a match since 1988 and sealed the series by a margin of 2-1.
Shastri heaped praises on the players for their ‘courage’, ‘resolve’ and ‘self-belief’. The 59-year-old also advised his mentees to maintain a positive attitude and not be distressed by instances that don’t go in their favour until the game got over.
The snippet also had frames from the Aeges Bowl, where the WTC final would take place.
“The Big Day is here! Get behind #TeamIndia & show your support as they take on New Zealand in #WTC21 Final in a few hours from now!,” BCCI captioned the video.
The Big Day is here! 👏 👏
Get behind #TeamIndia & show your support as they take on New Zealand in #WTC21 Final in a few hours from now! 💪 💪 pic.twitter.com/8k9B74DMPg
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 18, 2021
