WTC Final: Looks like it will end in a draw, says Sunil Gavaskar

Indian great Sunil Gavaskar feels that the ongoing World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand will end in a draw. The opening day and fourth day of the Test match were completely washed out due to rain as not a single ball was being delivered on these two days.

Furthermore, the forecast for the fifth day and the reserve day is also not looking good. Thus, only two days of play have been possible on the second and third day. 64.4 overs were bowled on the second day as the play was stopped due to bad light. Subsequently, 76 overs were bowled on the third day as once again bad light halted the game.

Meanwhile, New Zealand had put their noses in front as they were 101-2 at the end of the third day and trail India’s score of 217 by 116 runs.

ICC had earlier revealed the playing conditions of the World Test Championship and had stated that the trophy will be shared if the match ends in a stalemate.

“It looks like the World Test Championship Final will end in a draw and the trophy will be shared. It would be the first time that a trophy has been shared in the final. There are penalty shootouts in football or other criteria to decide a winner. In tennis, there are five sets and then a tiebreaker to get a winner. In Tests, we can only have a draw in such instances, and there is a high probability of a draw here as well,” Sunil Gavaskar said while talking to Aaj Tak.

The fourth day of play was abandoned due to rain and the chances of play on the last days is also slim.

“Everyone around here is saying that there is no chance of play today. It means only two days are left. To complete three innings in two days would be really difficult. Yes, if both teams bat really badly, the three innings could be completed,” Sunil Gavaskar suggested.

The Little Master added that there should have been some way of deciding the winner of the World Test Championship.

“There should have been some way to decide a winner. In the 2019 World Cup, we saw the team that hit the most boundaries lift the trophy. Due to the pandemic, the table was decided based on percentage points rather than outright points.

The goalpost kept shifting throughout the World Test Championship, which wasn’t fair for any team. They should have considered all things and developed a criteria to decide a winner,” Sunil Gavaskar signed off.