Ind vs NZ WTC Final: Live stream details, pitch and weather report, preview

India will take on New Zealand in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) on Friday, June 18 at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton. The live-action of Ind vs NZ WTC Final will commence at 3:00 PM (IST) & 10:30 AM local time. Ahead of the high-voltage contest, here's a look at India vs New Zealand live streaming details, India vs New Zealand pitch report, India vs New Zealand weather forecast and India vs New Zealand live scores info.

Ind vs NZ WTC Final Preview

India ended up at the top of the WTC points table with a 72.2 PTC. In the six series that they played during the course of the competition, Virat Kohli's men won 12 games, lost four and drew one. India started their WTC campaign with a 2-0 whitewash of West Indies followed by another series sweep (2-0) against South Africa.

Subsequently, the Men in Blue beat Bangladesh 2-0 to make it three series clean sweeps in a row. India's first taste of defeat came in New Zealand where the Kiwis beat them 2-0. The Indian team then travelled to Australia where they secured a historic 2-1 win by beating the Aussies in their own backyard. Thereafter, India went on to host England at home and managed to beat them 3-1 after losing the first Test to book their berth in the WTC Final vs New Zealand.

On the other hand, New Zealand started their WTC journey right after their heartbreaking loss to England in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The Kiwis' first series against Sri Lanka ended at 1-1 post which they toured their neighbouring country Australia where they suffered a 3-0 whitewash. The Kane Williamson-led side now needed to win all the remaining games which they did. They first beat India 2-0 and followed it up by trouncing West Indies (2-0) and Pakistan (2-0) to become the first team to enter the WTC Final. The upcoming final will be a fitting end to what has been a fiercely competitive championship. Both sides are filled with prominent names which is why a cracking contest is on the cars.

India vs New Zealand live streaming

India vs New Zealand WTC Final live telecast will be available on the Star Sports Network (Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada). Fans can also enjoy India vs New Zealand live streaming on Disney+Hotstar. Moreover, major moments and clips from the game will be available on Facebook & ICC website/app. To catch India vs New Zealand live scores, fans have to keep a tab n BCCI's and Blackcaps' social media handles.

India vs New Zealand pitch report

The pitch curator at the Ageas Bowl had revealed that he was going to make a surface that has some pace, bounce and carry in the surface. It is expected that the first three days will be ideal for pacers whereas spinners will come more into play during the final two days. As far as the Ageas Bowl stats are concerned, six Tests have been played at the venue out of which the team batting first has won two. The team batting second has won just one game while three matches have ended in draws. The captain winnings the toss is likely to bat first as rain is expected to play a big role in the game.

India vs New Zealand weather forecast

The Southampton weather forecast suggests that the weather will be extremely cloudy throughout the course of the game with regular thunderstorms and showers expected. According to AccuWeather, the temperature on Day 1 of the WTC Final is expected to be around 15°C. Meanwhile, the humidity levels throughout the day will hover between 62-86%. With black clouds constantly looming in Southampton for the next few days, the game is likely to be interrupted frequently due to rain.  

As a result, a Reserve Day (June 23) has been set to ensure five full days of play. The Reserve Day will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the normal provisions of making up lost time each day. Notably, 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.

India squad for WTC final

Virat Kohli (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed. Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha.

New Zealand squad for WTC final

Kane Williamson (Captain), BJ Watling (Wicketkeeper), Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, Tom Blundell, Will Young.

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