WTC Final: India very strong but New Zealand will have an edge, says Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh is backing India to beat New Zealand in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final even though he feels Kane Williamson’s team will have a slight edge as they are already playing red-ball cricket in England.

New Zealand are preparing for the WTC Final by facing England in a two-Test series which started on June 2. They will play another match at Birmingham from June 10 to 14 before taking on Virat Kohli’s India in Southampton from June 18.

No. 1 ranked Team India on the other hand, won’t be playing any warm-up games but will just have 8-10 practice sessions before heading into the all-important clash, which is being touted as the World Cup final of Test cricket.

“It’s a very good idea to take Test cricket to the next level. I feel India is very strong, because lately they have been performing really well away from home. They have the belief that they can win anywhere.

“But conditions in England will be different, then there’s the Dukes cricket ball. The players do have quite some time to get used to the conditions, so I’m backing my team. India should beat New Zealand,” Yuvraj told Sports Tak.

ADVANTAGE NEW ZEALAND?

Yuvi, who retired from the sport in 2019, rated India’s batting higher than their opponent’s but said that it will be difficult for them to get into the Test mode after not playing the longest format for more than 3 months.

“I think our batting is stronger, bowling I’d say both teams are at par. But it will be a bit difficult for the Indian players to get into the Test mode straightaway in England because they played the IPL in between.

“You have a better idea of the conditions when you get more used to them. Playing the Test match straightaway won’t be easy for India, New Zealand will have an edge,” Yuvraj added.