India vs New Zealand WTC Final- New Zealand's Predicted Playing XI

New Zealand comes into the ICC World Test Championship final on the back of a series win against England. They beat England at Edgbaston as they won the two-Test match series 1-0. Skipper Kane Williamson and BJ Watling who were rested in the second game will return for the big final.

They too have named a 15-member squad that consists of only one specialist spinner. It is also a hint that he will play the final alongside three pacers.

The Kiwis won 2-0 against India earlier in the championship. Thus both teams playing against each other in the final pinpoints that they have been the two best teams in the championship. In this article, we will figure out New Zealand’s playing XI for the final.

India vs New Zealand WTC Final- New Zealand’s Predicted Playing XI

Devon Conway

Conway after his memorable Test debut has taken the cricket world by storm. He has the highest score on Test debut (223 vs England, Lord’s). He will be key for his team’s chances in the big final. Conway is a limited-overs specialist and will be a new entity to the Indian bowlers and vice-versa.

Also Read: Most Runs Scored On Test Debut As An Opener

Tom Latham

Latham will open the batting alongside Conway in the ICC World Test Championship final. He led New Zealand to a series win in the second Test in the absence of Kane Williamson. Latham scored 680 runs in the tournament so far.

Kane Williamson

The Kiwi skipper returns at his number three position after recovering from an injury concern that kept him out of the second Test against England. Williamson is New Zealand’s highest scorer in the competition and will look for one big score in the final too. Williamson already has a double hundred to his name in 2021 against Pakistan.

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Ross Taylor

The most experienced Kiwi batsman slots in at number four in the playing XI. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson have been the pillars of New Zealand cricket for so many years and both will need to come good if they are to beat India in the WTC final. He scored 127 runs in the two games including the best score of 80.

Henry Nicholls

Nichols presents another left-handed batting option in the top six for New Zealand. He is a gutsy cricketer and will need to play well in the middle-order in case of loss of early wickets. He scored nearly 600 runs in the championship averaging 50.08.

Kyle Jamieson

The big all-rounder Kyle Jamieson slots in at number six in the New Zealand batting order. He has done the job with the ball for his team in the championship so far. He has taken 36 wickets including that of Indian skipper Virat Kohli when the teams last met. Jamieson’s fireworks with the bat will also be crucial for the Kiwis in the big final.

BJ Watling

The WTC final will be Watling’s last Test match for the Kiwis. This will also be his 75 Test match for the national team. He has been very underrated over the years but has played several match-winning innings for his side, He will also keep wickets in the final.

Tim Southee

Southee holds the record for hitting the most sies among active cricketers. He certainly do with a few more in the big final. He has also dismissed Virat Kohli the most times in international cricket across formats. Southee vs Kohli is a battle that fans from both teams are looking forward to. He has taken 51 wickets in the WTC campaign so far.

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Trent Boult

Boult will partner Southee with the ball. He will be bowling to Rohit Sharma his Mumbai Indians skipper. This sets up the key battles pretty well. Boult and Rohit know almost everything about their game courtesy of their stint in the IPL. Thus it will be another defining battle in the final.

Neil Wagner

Wagner is the left-arm pacer in this quality trio. He will be up against the likes of Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara. Both Pujara and Warger are feisty cricketers and will have a go at each other in the final. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Ajaz Patel

Patel culminates New Zealand predicted playing XI in the final. This is the most strong squad they can pick for the finals given the number of players available for selection. Patek is the specialist spinner in the bowling attack.

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