Southampton: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored a gritty half-century and forged an unbeaten 96-run partnership with Ross Taylor to pocket the inaugural World Test Championship beating India by eight wickets at The Ageas Bowl on Wednesday.
It also ended New Zealand’s wait for 21 years for an ICC trophy. The last time New Zealand won an ICC title was back in 2000 when they won the Champions Trophy in Kenya. Kyle Jamieson was adjudged the Player of the Match for his seven wickets.
Resuming the day at 64/2, India found it difficult against the New Zealand bowlers as the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Jamieson and Neil Wagner didn’t let the opposition settle. Like the first innings, Jamieson once again dismissed India captain Virat Kohli. The lanky pacer also accounted for Cheteshwar Pujara beaking the backbone of the Indian batting lineup.
The likes of Rishabh Pant (41) and Rohit Sharma (30) tried their best but that wasn’t enough as New Zealand bowled India for 170 runs in 73 overs. With 140 runs for victory, New Zealand lost openers Tom Latham and Devin Conway early, but Taylor (47 not out) and Williamson (52 not out) led them to ultimate glory.
Brief scores: India: 217 and 170 (Rishabh Pant 41) lost to New Zealand 249 and 140/2 in 45.5 overs. (Kane Williamson 52*, Ross Taylor 47*) by eight wickets.
