WTC final: 'It was close' - Williamson recalls game-changing moment on final day when he reviewed LBW call against him
But Williamson was quick to go for a review, and in a recent interaction, the New Zealand captain explained why he did so.
How things would have turned out if New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had not reviewed the LBW decision against him on the final day? Indian cricket fans may continue to ponder this for long. The moment came in the 16th over of New Zealand's 139-run chase when off-spinner R Ashwin was on the attack.
Ashwin had already dismissed the opening batsman Tom Latham earlier, and he was continuing to put pressure on Williamson who was still settling down in the middle.
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In the fifth ball of his over, Ashwin sent a full one to the Kiwi skipper, who went for a sweep, but the ball went under the bat and hit him on the pads. A massive appeal from the Indian cricket team saw the umpire raising his finger.
But Williamson was quick to go for a review, and in a recent interaction, the New Zealand captain explained why he did so.
“It was close. But the way Ravi spins the bowl, I thought I might have a chance. So I decided to review it, and It turned out my way,” Williamson told India Today.
The decision to review worked in New Zealand's favour as the ball-tracker showed the ball was missing the stumps. Williamson got a lifeline and he went on to score an unbeaten 55 runs to help his team to a mammoth eight-wicket win.
On being asked if he felt the Indian team lacked practice, Williamson said that there is no right and wrong answer to this assessment.
“There is no right and wrong answers for it. We all know India has a world-class Test team. Yes, in England, with Duke ball, different things happen all the time, but everyone saw that India was equally competitive. The match could have gone either way,” he said.
“It was an amazing game to be part of. The match could have gone either way. Unfortunately, there were weather interruptions, but still, we were able to get the result. I am just glad to be part of the special game,” Williamson signed off.
