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Former England skipper Michael Vaughan believes New Zealand will have the upper hand against India in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Southampton next week.
On Sunday, New Zealand beat England in the second Test at Edgbaston by eight wickets to win the two-Test series 1-0. The victory marks New Zealand’s first Test series win in England since 1999.
Often criticized for not being consistent away from home, New Zealand became the first team to beat England at home since 2014.
Through a tweet, Michael Vaughan praised New Zealand’s all-round abilities.
“NZ are a high class team .. Read the situation with the Bat in hand,skilful with the ball & catch brilliantly .. Really fancy them to beat India next week .. #ENGvNZ.”
The 46-year-old Ashes-winning captain also consoled his countrymen, referring to England’s Euro clash against Croatia later in the day.
The series win over England has now helped New Zealand displace India from the No.1 spot in the ICC Test Rankings.
New Zealand will enter the tournament final with 123 points, whereas India remains at 121. However, India topped the WTC points table.
Indian fans troll Michael Vaughan on Twitter
Michael Vaughan’s tweet on the WTC final ensured the banter between him and Indian fans continued on Twitter. Unfortunately, his predictions in the past involving India have gone woefully wrong.
He had predicted a 0-4 defeat for India when they toured Australia last season. His voice found more fuel after India were bowled out for 36 at Adelaide. However, India defied all the odds and won the series 2-1.
Even during England’s tour of India, Michael Vaughan constantly criticized the spin-friendly Indian pitches, much to the ire of Indian supporters.
Indian fans on Twitter welcomed Michael Vaughan’s tweet praising New Zealand, linking it to the jinxes his previous predictions have had.
The inaugural WTC final will be played between India and New Zealand at the Rose Bowl, Southampton, between June 18-22.
Despite making it to two consecutive 50-over World Cup finals, New Zealand hasn’t won an ICC Championship in 21 years. India’s last piece of ICC silverware was their 2013 Champions Trophy victory under MS Dhoni.
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