Brad Hogg, former Australia spinner believes veteran Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara dropping Ross Taylor on the final reserve 6th day of the World Test Championship final was a crucial moment in the match. New Zealand still needed 55 runs at the time and both the openers were dismissed in quick succession.
Brad Hogg insisted that Ross Taylor’s dismissal could have built pressure on captain Kane Williamson who was batting at the other end and could have prompted him to make a mistake, as the target of 139 looked like an easy ask for the Kiwis.
Brad Hogg: Cheteshwar Pujara Dropping Ross Taylor Proved Extremely Costly
India did not have a great chance of winning the World Test Championship final once their batting capitulated on the final day as the team scored only 170. The fact that India dropped two catches – one of Ross Taylor and the other of New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson – did not help their cause either of winning the inaugural WTC final.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the first to put down a chance, dropping an edge of Ross Taylor at first slip off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah in the 31st over, while 13 overs later, with NZ within striking distance of a win, Jasprit Bumrah swirled around but couldn’t quite get under the ball off Mohammed Shami. These two instances summed up India’s day as India lost to a spirited performance from New Zealand.
“A wonderful performance from New Zealand. India had their chances at the back end of the Test match to stay in it and win it. (Cheteshwar) Pujara dropping (Ross) Taylor with 55 runs still needed at that stage proved extremely costly. It was the final day of a final,” Brad Hogg said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
Ross Taylor had walked in after off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s double strike to send back openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway back in the pavilion. There was a stretch of 21 dot balls but the Kiwi duo stood undeterred in the middle to stitch an unbeaten 96-run partnership off 173 balls.
Brad Hogg: If Ross Taylor Had Gone, Kane Williamson Might Have Played A Rash Shot As Well
Ross Taylor scored 47 unbeaten runs on the final day to guide New Zealand to a thumping 8-wicket win over India in the historic WTC final Test match at Rose Bowl in Southampton.
“There was pressure. You had (Henry) Nicholls, Watling was injured. Anything could have happened with the pressure around there. Taylor went, (Kane) Williamson might have played a rash shot as well, not having that experience up at the other end,” Brad Hogg further said.
Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson remained unbeaten on 47 and 52 respectively as New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets to lift the inaugural WTC title. Ross Taylor scored the winning runs in the match, as he flicked a delivery of pacer Mohammed Shami towards deep square leg fence for a boundary.
Cheteshwar Pujara had a dismal outing in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) against New Zealand. He scored eight runs off 54 balls in the first innings and following that with 15 off 80 deliveries in the second innings. He may be dropped for the next 5 match Test series against England after a poor performance with the bat and in the field and may be replaced by the likes of KL Rahul and Hanuma Vihari.