India vs New Zealand WTC Final: NZ name Mumbai threat to be unleashed on Kohli and co.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Tuesday announced a 15-man squad for the maiden World Test Championship Final against India that will get underway on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. While a majority of the players in the New Zealand squad for WTC Final have been retained from their squad against England, five players have missed out on the marquee event. The likes of Rachin Ravindra, Doug Bracewell, Daryl Mitchell and Jacob Duffy have been dropped from the New Zealand squad for WTC Final, however, the omission of bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner, who is a pivotal part of their Test setup, comes as a major surprise.

New Zealand include Mumbai-born Ajaz Patel in place of seasoned Mitchell Santner 

Santner has been dropped in favour of specialist spinner Ajaz Patel. Speaking about Ajaz Patel's inclusion, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said was quoted as saying by nzc.nz that there had to be some tough calls with cricketers like Santner among others being victims of the fierce competition that they currently have for places in the Test side. He added that they’ve gone with Ajaz Patel as their specialist spinner after an impressive outing at Edgbaston against England. Gary Stead reckoned that Ajaz Patel could be a difference-maker in the India vs New Zealand WTC Final at the Ageas Bowl.

It is worth mentioning that Ajaz Patel was born in the year 1988 in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai). The left-arm orthodox bowler migrated to New Zealand with his family from Mumbai in 1996. Patel, who made his debut for New Zealand in 2018, is the fifth Indian-origin cricketer to play for New Zealand since Ted Badcock, Tom Puna, Ish Sodhi and his school-friend Jeet Raval.

New Zealand squad for WTC final: Kane Williamson (C), Tom Blundell (backup WK), Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (WK), Will Young.

The India vs New Zealand WTC Final will be played from June 18-22 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. 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

The winner of the high-voltage India vs New Zealand game will be crowned maiden World Test Championship winners. Notably, under Virat Kohli's captaincy, Team India haven't managed to win a single ICC event. The Men in Blue have a golden opportunity to put an end to their ICC trophy drought by beating the Kane Williamson-led side.

How to buy WTC Final jersey online?

MPL Sports is the current official merchandise sponsor of the Indian cricket team after having signed a three-year deal (November 2020 till December 2023) with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). MPL Sports has recently announced that fans in India will be able to purchase the India jersey for WTC Final. Fans in India now have access to the jersey that the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will wear in the all-important clash against the Kiwis.

Fans will be able to purchase the jersey from June 14 from the official website and app of MPL sports. The price of the WTC final jersey online is set at INR 4999. It is worth mentioning that only 250 units of the India jersey for the WTC Final will be put up on sale by the athleisure brand. Several players have given fans a glimpse of the jersey, and the netizens have given the revamped design a big thumbs-up as well. The WTC Final jersey and merchandise can also be purchased on the ICC website.

SOURCE: NEW ZEALAND CRICKET