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Updated June 7th, 2021 at 12:13 IST

NZ selector says Virat Kohli might struggle in WTC final if conditions are pace-friendly

New Zealand selector has said that Indian skipper Virat Kohli will struggle in the WTC Final against the BlackCaps if the conditions favor seam & swing

Reported by: Karthik Nair
Virat Kohli, WTC final
Image Courtesy: AP | Image:self
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Former New Zealand captain and selector Glenn Turner reckons that Indian skipper Virat Kohli might struggle if the wicket favors seam, and, swing during the ICC World Test Championship final that will be contested at Ageas Rose Bowl in Southampton on June 18.

During India's last tour of New Zealand in early 2020, Virat Kohli had a torrid time as he could just manage to score 38 runs in two Tests at an average of 9.50 which were played in pace-friendly conditions. India suffered a whitewash in the two-match Test series.

Glenn Turner explains why Virat Kohli will struggle in WTC Final

Glenn Turner, who is the current head of the New Zealand Cricket selection panel said that if the conditions work extremely well in the favor of the fast bowlers, then even a batsman of Virat Kohli's caliber will struggle to get going.

“I don’t wish to speculate on whether Kohli’s reflexes have deteriorated. But if the pitch and overall conditions favour seam and swing, he is also likely to struggle along with others as was demonstrated in New Zealand,” said Glenn Turner while speaking to Telegraph.

“Once again, conditions are going to be pivotal. I think it is true to say that the home conditions, where batsmen are brought up, play a significant part in the technique and skills of a player", Glenn Turner added.

“Although it seems that in more recent times, pitches in India can assist seam bowling, they still can’t be compared to conditions in New Zealand. This was exposed when India last toured New Zealand. English conditions are generally closer to those in New Zealand," he further added.

Will Virat Kohli the 'batsman' rise to the occasion?

Virat Kohli has not been able to make his bat talk during crunch games in the last decade and he would be hoping to change that in the ICC WTC final. The batting megastar had scored 1 in the 2015 World Cup semi-final against Australia, 5 against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final, and 1 vs New Zealand in World Cup 2019 semis where he failed to prolong his stay at the crease when it mattered the most. India went on to taste bitter defeats in all three games.

Come WTC final, Virat Kohli would be hoping to prove a point or two to his naysayers by playing an impactful knock on the 22 yards and help Team India end their eight-year ICC title drought. The winner of this one-off Test match will go down in history as the first-ever 'World Test Champions'.

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Published June 7th, 2021 at 12:13 IST

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