14:25 (IST)
Pitch report by Simon Doull and Sunil Gavaskar: It is a bit cloudy. Grass on the wicket. Groundsman was trying to shave a little bit of grass in morning. Ball will seam after pitching and it will swing in air because of overcast conditions. Pacers will be more dominant than spinners but if sun comes out in next few days, spinners will come into play as well.
14:18 (IST)
There will be a lot of consideration to what should be done after winning the toss. Both teams will say “Let’s take of the overcast conditions and get three-four wickets”, says batting legend Sunil Gavaskar in a chat on Star Sports.
With toss expected to take place shortly at the Ageas Bowl, will Kohli and Williamson be thinking along the same lines as the former India captain?
14:16 (IST)
Both teams are in a huddle. We are minutes away from the toss. Kohli giving the pep talk to his boys and Black Caps looking in good spirits as well. Happy faces all around as weather has been good for cricket this morning in Southampton, We hope it stays this way throughout this day.
14:09 (IST)
Some friendly exchanges between the two sides before the battle gets underway at the Ageas Bowl in less than an hour
Morning catch-ups @BCCI 👋#WTC21 pic.twitter.com/VrdaiMY0Yd
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 19, 2021
14:05 (IST)
The pitch after being covered for the whole day. What do you say? Team winning toss to bowl or bat?
The pitch has been under covers and this is what it looks like now.
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 19, 2021
Thoughts?#WTC21 pic.twitter.com/BdTrPMdyCJ
13:59 (IST)
Both the teams have come into the final on the back of strong performances over the two years. And as they head into the final there is very little to separate the two sides. However, if there is one key factor that might decide which way the balance swings, it's how the two teams bat.
13:56 (IST)
Day 1 of the WTC Final was washed out due to wet outfield thanks to incessant rain. Due to the whole day lost, 98 overs will be bowled on the remaining days to make up for the time lost on day 1. Also, there is a reserve day if needed, in case it rains on the remaining days as well.
Watch this space for more updates as we build up to the live action.
13:54 (IST)
Hello and welcome to the coverage of Day 2 of the WTC final between India and New Zealand in Southampton. It's didn't start off well with a washout on Day1, The teams will be hoping that play finally gets underway today. The toss will take place at 2.30 PM IST and the Day's play will start at 3 PM IST.
India vs New Zealand WTC Final Day 1 Live Cricket Score Updates: After a washout on Day 1, the teams will be hoping that play finally gets underway as Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson vie for Test supremacy in the WTC final.
Day 1 report: The inaugural World Test Championship final suffered a setback at the outset after persistent rain meant there was no play at all between India and New Zealand on Friday's opening day at Southampton.
The toss should have taken place at 10:00 am local time (0900 GMT), with the match getting underway 30 minutes later, but heavy overnight and early morning rain meant the pitch and square at the Hampshire Bowl remained fully covered.
Several more downpours hit the ground and it was no surprise when the umpires abandoned play for the day at 2:48 pm (1348 GMT).
While a standard Test lasts a maximum of five days, this fixture can be extended into a sixth day should match referee Chris Broad decide that it is the only way to make-up time lost in the game to bad weather.
But former England batsman Broad won't be called on to make such a decision until the fifth day as the match could be over before then in any event.
This fixture, worth $1.6 million to the winners and $800,000 to the runners-up, represents the culmination of a two-year programme of series to crown a champion team in men's Test cricket, with India and New Zealand topping the qualifying table.
India captain Virat Kohli, however, questioned whether a one-off game could decide the world's best Test side by saying Thursday: "If you're talking about Test cricket and deciding who is the best team in the world on one game over a period of five days, that is not the reality of the truth."
The star batsman added: "For me, this is another Test match that has to be played."
India named their team on Thursday, with the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami as well as spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja all included in the same Test XI for the first time.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, recovered from an elbow injury that saw him miss the Blackcaps' series-clinching win over England at Edgbaston last week, said he would delay announcing his side until the toss.
India too could yet change their side, as teams don't have to be confirmed until the toss takes place.
With inputs from AFP
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