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. Ross Taylor said that Kiwis back home will be “surely” proud of the team.
Senior New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor stood firm alongside his captain Kane Williamson and finished off the match with a boundary as New Zealand was crowned the World Test Champions on Wednesday at Southampton’s Rose Bowl.
Ross Taylor: Kiwis Back Home Will Be Proud Of The Team
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.
India’s bowlers tried to dismiss the duo but with time Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, the top two run-scorers for New Zealand in Test cricket, passed all the tests with flying colours to bring smiles to the faces of some 50 lakh Kiwis back home.
Reacting after the historic win, the veteran of 108 Tests, said that being crowned the Test champions was the highlight of his career. Ross Taylor, who scored 47 unbeaten runs, added that contributing to the crucial situation is something he will never forget. The 37-year-old also admitted that the WTC final win will also make up for the bitter loss in the 2019 World Cup final against England.
“Still sinking in but it’s been a couple of years coming. Lot of rain but the way the team fought from day one, to be out there in a crucial situation for a little, it’s something I’ll never forget. This would have to be the highlight of my career. At the start of my career, I felt we probably didn’t have the side to do this.”
“But am sure there are a few Kiwis waking up who will be very proud. There was a lot of pressure, it was nice to be standing up to it. 2019 World Cup was something that was very tough for us at the time, but this makes up for that. Over time, it’ll sink in a little more,” Ross Taylor said.
For New Zealand, Ross Taylor is the only player who has scored more than 18000 runs in international cricket. The Kiwi batsman has scored 18007 total runs in all three formats at an average of 43.28. He accounts for 43 centuries and 93 centuries overall.
The right-handed batsman has played 108 Tests, 233 ODIs, and 103 T20Is so far. In 188 Test innings, the 37-year-old has scored 7517 runs at an average of 45.55. He has hit 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries.
Kyle Jamieson Felt Good To Bowl To Virat Kohli During IPL 2021 Net Session As He Dismissed Indian Skipper Both Times
Kyle Jamieson, the other player to star for New Zealand in the summit clash, said that bowling to his RCB captain Virat Kohli was good during the IPL 2021 net sessions, adding that going up against him in the WTC final “awesome”. Notably, he dismissed Indian skipper Virat Kohli on both occasions in the match which finished on the sixth day (Reserve Day) due to consistent rain for the first 5 days.
Kyle Jamieson took 7 scalps, the most wickets by a New Zealand bowler in the match but very modestly said that he rides on the back of seniors Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and Neil Wagner.
“To have something of this context in Test cricket is massive, and to be standing up here is surreal. We knew we had a big first hour, and just to see how things panned out. We were hoping they might pan out our way if we put the ball in the right place, but we knew this is a quality Indian team as well.”
“It was nice to get the ball first up and to play a part, I guess. The work that Tim, Trent, Wags do, I just ride in on the back of that. It was good to bowl in the nets to him [Kohli at RCB], and to be here and go up against him over the last six days was awesome.”
The heroes of New Zealand’s victory were Kane Williamson (49 and 52*), Kyle Jamieson (5/31 in the 1st innings), and Tim Southee(4/48 in the 2nd innings). Kyle Jamieson has played only 8 Tests but already has 46 wickets to his name at an extraordinary average of 14.17 with as many as 5 five-wicket hauls.