After two long years of Test cricket, two of the best teams have made to the summit clash to fight for the ultimate crown.
With both India and New Zealand finishing at the top two of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table, the two will now battle it out for one final time to determine the World Champions of Test cricket.
Here is all you need to about the much-awaited India vs New Zealand WTC final.
Venue: The India vs New Zealand WTC final will be held at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, England.
Time: The WTC final final will begin at 3:00 pm IST on Friday (June 18) while the toss for the contest will be held at 2:30 pm IST.
How to watch live streaming: The match will be aired live on Star Sports 1 and other sports channels of the same broadcaster, in India.
How to watch online: Online streaming of the clash will be available on Hotstar (both app and website) in India.
ICC WTC prize money: The winner will receive $1.6 million (Rs.12 crore approximately) along with an ICC Test Championship Mace while the runners-up will receive $800,000 (Rs.6 crore approximately).
Follow on-rule: A team needs to have a lead of 200 runs, to enforce the follow-on. However, if the first day’s play has been washed out then the lead for follow-on rule is reduced to 150.
Reserve Day: The ICC has also allocated a Reserve Day to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the WTC final. June 23 has been set aside as the Reserve Day, which will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the normal provisions for each day.
Pitch report: The Southampton wicket is likley to have pace, bounce and carry thanks due to the presence of ‘a lot of sun’ in past few days.
Head-to-head record of these two teams –
Matches: 59
India wins: 21
New Zealand wins: 12
Draws: 26
Teams:
India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand (Full Squad): Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, BJ Watling, Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult, Matt Henry