Home SportsCricket Sourav Ganguly Confirmed WTC Final Will Be Played In Southampton

Sourav Ganguly Confirmed WTC Final Will Be Played In Southampton

Sourav Ganguly. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Sourav Ganguly, BCCI President has confirmed that the inaugural World Test Championship final, which was originally scheduled at Lord’s, between India and New Zealand will be held in Southampton from June 18.

The ICC World Test Championship final, which was originally scheduled to be held at Lord’s in London, has been moved to Southampton according to the BCCI’s knowledge.

Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Sourav Ganguly Confirms Change In Venue From Lords To Southampton For The Inaugural WTC Final

BCCI President, on Monday (March 8), confirmed that the WTC final between the two qualified teams India and New Zealand, which is scheduled on June 18, will be held in Southampton. While there have been speculations about the change in venue, the ICC is yet to confirm the move to Southampton but the BCCI President is certain about the new venue for the mega event.

“I’m looking forward to attending the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand in Southampton,” Ganguly said on India Today.

Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson
Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

“Yeah, it is in Southampton. It was decided a long time ago. Due to COVID and they [in Southampton] have the hotel absolutely close. When England resumed play after COVID, they had a lot of matches in Southampton due to the same reason.”

When asked if the World Test Championship is up in the ranks with the 50-over World Cup, Sourav said: “Every trophy has its own value. The 50-over World Cup is an amazing spectacle. It (WTC) was a bit complicated this time because of the pandemic. We will see when every team has played an equal number of games.”

“Massive achievements have given what the players have gone through. Right from the IPL in September to early March and they are not finished yet. A good 6 months in bio-bubbles and what they have achieved is fantastic,” Sourav Ganguly said.

“Looking forward to the WTC final and I hope we get past New Zealand. Congratulate Rahane, Kohli, everyone involved. The way Pant won India the Brisbane game was excellent,” Sourav Ganguly added.

India and New Zealand will be up against each other in the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) this summer. India booked their place in the final last week after winning the four-match Test series against England at home. Virat Kohli-led India started the series on a poor note as England stunned them by 217 runs. However, the home side bounced back in style to win the following three games in a convincing manner.

Kane Williamson-led New Zealand, on the other hand, qualified for the final after Australia decided to pull out of the South Africa tour on medical grounds. Southampton was considered as the front runner ahead of Old Trafford in Manchester and Edgbaston in Birmingham because of the facilities at the ground.

Sourav Ganguly Will Go To Ahmedabad For Either The 2nd Or 3rd T20I

Sourav Ganguly, who has two procedures of angioplasty in January, has also updated that he has recovered and is now fit and fine. The BCCI President wasn’t able to attend the pink-ball Test against England, held last month at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad due to health issues, but is looking forward to attending a T20I fixture at the same venue and the WTC final in June.

“[I am] Fit, absolutely fine, I am back to work for a while now. Fit and fine, that’s the best part of it. I will travel and go for the T20Is [after getting vaccinated]. I will go to Ahmedabad for either the 2nd or the 3rd T20I,” Ganguly added.

Varun Chakravarthy Screengrab / Hotstar
Varun Chakravarthy Screengrab / Hotstar

India has picked Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Varun Chakravarthy, and Rahul Tewatia for the first time in 5 T20Is against strong Eoin Morgan-led England but the spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Tewatia failed fitness tests.

England has played 6 Tests since 2011 at the Rose Bowl, Southampton, and won 2, lost 1, and drew 3. They defeated India twice in 2014 and 2018 and West Indies in 2020.  It is at Southampton that England’s Zak Crawley scored 267 against Pakistan in the year 2020.

This article is auto-generated by Algorithm Source: sportzwiki.com

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