Rishabh Pant's heroics at The Gabba witnessed by 76 million Indians in January 2021

Fans are eagerly waiting for the India vs New Zealand Test match that will witness India go against New Zealand in the inaugural World Test Championship Final from June 18 in Southampton. The road to the WTC Final 2021 can be attributed to India’s iconic win at The Gabba that breached Australia’s unbeaten 31 Test streak in Brisbane. Rishabh Pant emerged as a star in the 4th Test after he managed to take India across the finish line with his brilliant knock, thereby creating history.

The world was recovering from the first wave of the pandemic and the sports scenario was being resumed all around the world. The first match from India vs Australia Test series took place on December 17. Australia won the first Test match followed by India winning the second match with the third Test match ending in a draw. All eyes were on the 4th Test match which was going to be a deciding factor, both for the series and the World Test Championship Final.

India vs Australia Gabba 2021 final moment gains record viewership

All the odds were in favour of Australia as they had a brilliant Test record at The Gabba. However, with the resilience of Rishabh Pant who played an unbeaten innings of 89 runs, the India team managed to create history. According to the head of the Indian broadcaster in a write-up for Forbes India, this final winning moment gained a viewership of over 76 million Indians on the Sony Sports Network. The number displays the significance of the moment that will go in the history of Indian cricket.

India vs Australia Gabba 2021 match

During the 4th Test at The Gabba, the Australian team put forth a target of 328 runs which would also decide the series result. Shubman Gill gave a great start to the innings by scoring 91 runs from 146 balls. This was followed by a solid defensive innings by Cheteshwar Pujara where he scored 56 runs from 211 balls. However, India still needed someone to take the team across the finish line. In came Rishabh Pant who ensured the victory of Team India alongside Washington Sundar.

India vs New Zealand WTC Final 2021 schedule

The WTC Final 2021 will see India go against New Zealand from June 18-22 where both teams will battle for the first World Test Championship title at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. New Zealand is also set to face the England team in the England vs New Zealand 2-match Test series before the WTC Final. The first match from the England vs New Zealand Test series will start from June 2 at the Lord’s. After concluding India vs New Zealand WTC Final, the India squad for WTC Final will face England in the India vs England Test Series that will consist of 5 Test matches starting from August 4 at Trent Bridge.

India squad for WTC Final 2021

India squad for WTC Final: Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Rohit Sharma, Gill, Mayank, Cheteshwar Pujara, H. Vihari, Rishabh (WK), R. Ashwin, R. Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Bumrah, Ishant, Shami, Siraj, Shardul, Umesh. KL Rahul & W Saha (WK) subject to fitness clearance.

Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla, KS Bharat

Image Source: ICC