As rain continues to play spoilsport on Day One of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl, former England captain Michael Vaughan on Friday said the Virat Kohli-led side is being saved by the weather.
"I see India have been saved by the weather," tweeted Vaughan.
Earlier, Vaughan had predicted that New Zealand would register a win against India in the finals of the WTC.
India skipper Virat Kohli has said the World Test Championship (WTC) final has a bit more value added to it, but for his side, every Test matters and they play to win.
"We are so delighted that we are in the final, we feel we have earned our place and belong where we are. We are happy some spectators are going to watch, which is justice for something of this magnitude, because a big final without spectators would have been anticlimactic. It's not the final frontier, it's just another feather to add to our hat that we have created as a Test team. It's a culmination of the toil over the last 4-5 years. We have identified these players, and condensed it down, and for me as a captain and for us as a team, it's not just good cricket over 6 months, but over the last 5 years," Kohli told host broadcaster Star Sports.
"This is just a game that has a bit more value added to it, but every Test has had the same value over the last few years which is why we're ranked highly. Test cricket tests your grit and your resolve. You have to wake up and have belief and determination to turn up and turn things around every day of the Test, how to come back from a tough situation and hang in there. It's a metaphor for life," he added.
The first session of the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand was washed out due to continuous drizzle at the Ageas Bowl on Friday.
"Update: Unfortunately there will be no play in the first session on Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final. #WTC21," BCCI tweeted.
Earlier, India's spin spearhead R. Ashwin shared the view of Ageas Bowl as it continued raining. "The camera also has a raincoat," wrote Ashwin on Instagram while sharing a video of the ground. His wife Prithi Narayanan also took to Twitter to share the video of the ground and wrote, "Pouring down #WTCFinal."
Rain is forecast on all five days of the game, that's why ICC has added a reserve day on June 23 but in case of a no-result, the Test Championship will be shared.
"The Reserve Day has been scheduled to ensure five full days of play, and it will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the normal provisions of making up lost time each day. 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 ICC release on the playing conditions read.
( With inputs from ANI )
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