Who will win the WTC and will rain play a spoilsport - let's look at all the possible outcomes?
The inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final is all set to take place between India and New Zealand on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
The two powerhouses have qualified for the final summit clash courtesy of their brilliant performances in the league round.
The Men in Blue defeated West Indies, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, and Australia to make it to the WTC Final, while New Zealand, on the other hand, recorded series victories over India, Pakistan, and West Indies to make it to the summit clash.
The Kiwis played one series less than India and have not even won a single overseas Test series in the league round.
So who will win the WTC and will rain play a spoilsport - let's look at all the possible outcomes?
1. Will India win the World Test Championship (WTC) Final?
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According to Australia Test skipper Tim Paine, he said, "My prediction is, India will win pretty comfortably if they play anywhere near their best," stuff.co.nz quoted.
The Blackcaps were the only side to defeat India in an ICC World Test Championship series. Playing at home, Kane Williamson's BlackCaps blanked Virat Kohli and Co. 2-0.
However, India have dominated New Zealand in the Test format as the two countries battled 59 times and Team India emerged victorious on 21 occasions.
2. Will New Zealand win the World Test Championship (WTC) Final?
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Former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond believes the Blackcaps will bowl India out cheaply. "...if New Zealand win the toss and bowl as well as they have. I think they'll bowl out India cheaply and that ain't a bad thing," Bond said in a virtual press conference arranged by Star Sports.
"The risk is if they (NZ) don't bowl them out, India have got two world-class spinners and are right in the game.
"So, it's the toss that is going to be huge. And that first innings is going to be huge," he pointed out.
The Kiwis have won 12 games, while the remaining 28 matches ended in a stalemate. All the previous five Test meetings between India and New Zealand have produced a winner and India lead New Zealand 3-2 in the last five Tests.
3. Numbers game ahead World Test Championship (WTC) Final
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When it comes to the numbers game, New Zealand's Ross Taylor has scored 812 runs in 14 Tests against India. His compatriot Tim Southee has scalped 39 Test wickets against the Men in Blue.
As for India, Virat Kohli has amassed 773 runs in nine Tests against New Zealand. In the bowling unit, Mohammed Shami has taken 23 wickets.
4. What if rain plays spoilsport during World Test Championship (WTC) Final?
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As the final is all set to take place in Englan, it is bound to appear that the 'Rain Gods' could pay a visit during the final clash. There are speculations that rain might be a spoilsport, so what happens next?
The much-awaited tournament which was delayed since 2013 is finally happening in 2021 but under the threat of rainfall and according to Weather Channel and Accuweather, both are predicting some rain on all five days.
There are 61% chances of rain on Day 1 of the Test match, as per Accuweather, while The Weather Channel shows 90% chances of rain. Things change from Day 2 onwards even though the weather would be cloudy, the chances of rain go down drastically to 25%.
Day 5 also is showing a 62% chance of rainfall on Accuweather.
Nonetheless, ICC has a reserved day (on 23 June) in case a Day's play is washed out due to rain.
5. What happens if World Test Championship (WTC) Final ends in draw?
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If the match does end up in a draw, India and New Zealand will end as joint winners, the International Cricket Council announced.
"The playing conditions confirm that a draw or a tie will see both teams crowned as joint winners as well as the allocation of a Reserve Day to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the Final -- scheduled to be played from 18 to 22 June, with 23 June set aside as the Reserve Day. Both of these decisions were made in June 2018, prior to the commencement of the ICC World Test Championship," said a statement from ICC.
The ICC added that the reserve day has been kept only in the event of lost time and not to get a result.
"The Reserve Day has been scheduled to ensure five full days of play, and it will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the normal provisions of making up lost time each day. There will be no additional day's play if a positive result is not achieved after five full days of play and the match will be declared a draw in such a scenario," the statement added.
6. World Test Championship (WTC) Final: India and New Zealand squads
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India squad: Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin. Ravindra Jadeja. Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Siraj.
New Zealand 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.
