Without India, The Face Of World Cricket Would Be Very Different: Sir Richard Hadlee
Sir Richard Hadlee. (Credits: Twitter)

Former New Zealand all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee was one of the significant reasons for the Kiwi’s rise in cricket, having sown the seeds for it during his playing days from 1973 to 1990. Sir Richard Hadlee has lived through New Zealand’s recent barren run in the ICC events, having lost in the 2015 and 2019 World Cup final, and is gearing up for another next month and heaped praises on Virat Kohli’s men. The Black Caps will lock horns with India in the ICC World Test Championship final on the 18th of June in Southampton.

It is fair to say that Sir Richard Hadlee is an avid follower of Kiwi’s team; however, he equally admires the Indian outfit. India are currently leading the ICC World Test Championship’s points table with 520 points in their kitty, followed by New Zealand, who are 100 points away. Having beaten England and Australia in their last two Test series, Virat Kohli’s men are high on confidence and have momentum on their side.

Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli (Image Credit: Twitter)

But it would be naive to count out New Zealand, who have enjoyed an upper hand over India in the recent past. The Black Caps stunned the men in blue in the 2019 World Cup semi-final in Manchester and scored a 2-0 victory when India visited New Zealand to play two Tests last year. Kane Williamson’s men will also play a couple of Tests against England before the decider, enabling them to acclimatize to the conditions probably better than their opposition.

India has also made an outstanding contribution to Test cricket: Sir Richard Hadlee

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

Sir Richard Hadlee agreed that India produces a lot of revenue for cricket through IPL and that without them, the face of cricket would be vastly different. Simultaneously, the 69-year old understands that India has contributed outstandingly to Test cricket, given how they staged a remarkable comeback in Australia. Hence, Hadlee lauded the depth of talented players India boasts across formats.

“There is no doubt India produces a lot of revenue for cricket. Without India, the face of world cricket would be very different, therefore cricket needs India. But India has also made an outstanding contribution to Test cricket – like in all formats. Their Test performances in Australia were outstanding despite that 36 all out blip. They bounced back superbly, and Test cricket came alive again. So many youngsters came into the team and performed. It showed the great depth of talented players India have in all formats,” Hadlee told Times of India.

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