‘None of the batsmen showed temperament’: Madan Lal explains how WTC Final could have ended in a draw
Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal said the WTC final could have ended in a draw if the Indian batters had spent some more time in the middle on the reserve day.
Team India on Wednesday lost the inaugural World Test Championship final to New Zealand by 8 wickets in Southampton. Virat Kohli & Co. had a tough time against the Kiwi pacers as they were bowled out for 170 runs in the second innings, setting New Zealand a target of 139. In reply, the duo of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor stitched a 96-run stand for the third wicket and guided the Black Caps to their first ICC trophy in 21 years.
_1624540880093_1624540892688.jpg "Madan Lal (L) and Virat Kohli (R)(HT Collage)")
Former Indian pacer and 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal lauded Williamson & Co for their heroics against India. While speaking with Aaj Tak in an interaction, the former cricketer said the WTC final could have ended in a draw if the Indian batters had spent some more time in the middle on the reserve day.
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“New Zealand were the deserving team and their captain deserves a lot of credit. The way they got our batsmen out and their field placements, I feel that (Kane Williamson's) captaincy was top class. It is disappointing, it's not that India are a bad team. They are actually a very good, balanced team. But our problem away from home has always been that if you don't make runs, it becomes very difficult to win matches,” Lal told Aaj Tak.
“Today the disappointment is that we were all thinking that the match could be drawn. But none of the batsmen showed the temperament for that and if they stayed there for one or two hours more, this match could have been a draw,” he added.
Madan Lal further spoke about young opener Shubman Gill who failed to impress with the bat in the WTC Final. The Under-19 star managed to score 28 and 8 runs in the match.
“Shubman Gill is talented but he has to improve on his temperament. In English conditions, you have to stay there for a long time. If you look at Rohit and start playing shots chances of scoring runs become less,” he said.
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New Zealand ended their 21-year-long wait for an ICC trophy by beating India in the WTC final. India are yet to win an ICC title under Virat Kohli.
