Former New Zealand captain and selector Glenn Turner believes that the pitch and weather conditions are expected to play a major role in the World Test Championship final between Virat Kohli’s India and Kane Williamson’s New Zealand.
Turner, in fact, went on to stress that despite being one of the best batsmen in the world, even Kohli may struggle along with other batters if the pitch and conditions favours fast bowlers.
“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,” Turner told Telegraph.
The WTC final will kick off from June 18th and will be played in Southampton which is generally known for supporting seam and swing bowling. Moreover, the weather is expected to be windy and cold which may make things tougher for Indian batsmen.
“Once again, conditions are going to be pivotal,” Turner said. “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.”
“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,” he added.
“English conditions are generally closer to those in New Zealand,” he signed off.
