Aakash Chopra, India, New Zealand, World Test Championship
Aakash Chopra predicts the winner of ICC WTC final. (Photo: Twitter)

Aakash Chopra has picked New Zealand as the favorite over India to win the upcoming final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship. The two teams will clash in Rose Bowl, Southampton from June 18-22 to determine the first-ever Test Championship winner.

This will be India’s first-ever Test match at a neutral venue and the squad has already started quarantining in Mumbai before they leave for the UK for the WTC final and the five-Test series against England which follows the ICC spectacle.

New Zealand Team
New Zealand defeat India in ICC WTC (Image Credit: Twitter)

Don’t Rule India Out But It Is 55-45 In Favor Of New Zealand: Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his Facebook page, Aakash Chopra replied in the affirmative when asked by a fan if the WTC final is edging towards New Zealand, given that the conditions at the Ageas Bowl are similar to ones in New Zealand.

“Don’t rule India out but it is 55-45 in favor of New Zealand. Although they are No.2 in the Test rankings and play well at home but when we talk about Southampton, they can play slightly better than us in these conditions in the first half of the English summer,” said Chopra.

New Zealand Team
New Zealand Team (Image Credit: Twitter)

New Zealand had previously defeated India 2-0 in their own home at the start of the 2020 year and have bowlers better suited to the England conditions and pitches which tend to favor the pacers.

On top of that, New Zealand will even be better acclimatized given that they will play England in two Tests before the final of the World Test Championship happens. Chopra pointed this out and said that it will work to the advantage of the Kiwis. He also recalled that India, despite being full-strength, couldn’t defeat New Zealand in their own home.

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Indian Cricket Team
Indian Cricket Team (Image Credit: Twitter)

“They [New Zealand] would have already played two Tests there. So, there is a slight difference. The heart is Indian and will say that we will defeat them but we are not able to go to New Zealand and defeat them. It’s a fact, we didn’t defeat them now as well. The team which won in Australia had lost in New Zealand while it was almost a full-strength side in New Zealand. There could be problems in Southampton as well,” said Chopra.

The Indian team will hope to rise to the occasion and clinch the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

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