Rain and bad light have ruined the excitement of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand. However, despite that, players from both teams have shown top-quality skills, and they have been able to keep fans on the edge of their seats. Even after five days, any result is still possible following a mesmerizing arm-wrestle between the two sides as the WTC final heads into its reserve day.
New Zealand were bundled out for 249 runs, thanks to some outstanding bowling display by the Indian pace attack. Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson showed high-quality batting and kept his end alive for a longer period. He played a vital 49-run knock after facing almost 30 overs himself.
Although Williamson could not manage to score a well-deserved half-century but he did accomplish a personal milestone. During his 177-ball 49 runs innings, the 30-year-old went past former Black Caps skipper Stephen Fleming to become New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer in the longest format.
Fleming had accumulated 7172 runs from 111 matches in the red-ball format. On the other hand, Williamson has now 7178 runs to his name in 85 Tests. Senior batsman Ross Taylor is currently the leading run-getter for New Zealand in the oldest format. He has 7517 runs to his credit in 108 matches.
Most Test runs for New Zealand:
- 7517 – Ross Taylor (108)
- 7178 – Kane Williamson (85)*
- 7172 – Stephen Fleming (111)
Overall, Williamson averages 53.57 in the Test format. The Tauranga-born has 24 hundreds and 32 half-centuries to his name. When it comes to WTC, Williamson has scored 866 runs in 15 innings at an average of 57.33. He has smashed three hundreds and one fifty during this period. He is also New Zealand’s highest run-getter in WTC 2019-21 cycle.
Coming back on Day 5, after bundling out New Zealand for 249 in their first essay, the Virat Kohli-led side had scored 64/2 in their second innings at stumps with a lead of 32 runs.
