Former England captain David Gower reserved high praise for Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, terming them as ‘two of the greatest batsmen in the world at the moment.’ Gower’s comments are of special significance as it comes less than two weeks before India and New Zealand face off in the inaugural World Test Championship final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on June 18.
It will be a big occasion for Both Kohli and Williamson as the duo would walk out to lead India and New Zealand respectively in the WTC final.
“We know there are two of the greatest batsmen in the world at the moment that are going to be involved in Virat and in Kane Williamson. You’ve got two very competitive teams. So, it makes for what I call a proper Test match,” Gower told Timesofindia.com.
Gower, who represented England in 117 Tests and 114 ODIs, said both India and New Zealand deserved to be in the finals. The former left-hander, who was known for his grace and class while batting in the middle, said he is expecting a ‘proper Test match’ between two sides of the highest quality.
“First of all, they both deserve to be there. We’ve got a final between two very good teams. Knowing the Southampton ground as I do, I would expect it to be a proper game, a proper Test match. By which I mean that whenever people talk about conditions for Test matches, you want something that gives something for the bowlers, something for a batsman, or something for the spinner. And that’s the template for all matches. And I think the pitch at Southampton will most likely offer that,” said.
Talking about the Ageas Bowl pitch, Gower said it will be a surface that will offer something for the batsmen, seamers and also the spinners as the game progresses.
“I think they’ll try and prepare a pitch which will reflect the status of the game and will give both teams an opportunity to use all aspects or facets. So I think the fact that, for instance, India just won this last series largely (due to) spin. But we know that when conditions are different, there are some very good Indian pace bowlers (as well). So, you’ve got your three or four perfectly good seam bowlers, and if there’s a bit of help they will do a good job,” he said.
