WTC Final | Definitely the result might have been different if not for the weather, states Sanjay Bangar
Bangar talked about the WTC final
|ICC
In the aftermath of India’s loss in the final, Sanjay Bangar has stated that the result would have been different if the rain interruptions were not there against New Zealand. Bangar also credited the Indian women’s opener Shafali Verma, stating that her future is bright in the Indian colours.
Rain played a crucial role in the World Test Championship final, taking away all the momentum for the two teams, with the delays. In particular, the Indian batsmen paid the brunt of the weather in their second innings, where they walked out on the final day, to save the game.Â
Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar stated that the result could have been different if not for the weather conditions. He also insisted that the break in concentration disrupted the momentum for the Indian team. Not just that, Bangar also stated that all of it combined robbed away the excitement and the challenge of the Test match.Â
"Yeah, definitely it could have been different. With a threat of rain looming over all the time, it doesn't really give players the freedom to go out and play for extended amounts of time. Because obviously, there's a break in concentration, as well as the normal wear and tear of the wicket -- that it generally undergoes if it has completed 450 overs of play,” Bangar pointed, reported TOI.Â
“Those are the other challenges as well. So, from that perspective, I feel yes, it does rob away some excitement, some challenges that you would want to see in a Test match," Bangar added.
Away from Southampton, in Bristol, the Indian women’s team handed a debut to the swashbuckling opener Shafali Verma, who blew away the opposition. In the first innings, the right-handed opener scored 96, off just 152 deliveries, narrowly missing out on a century. In the second innings, Shafali followed it up with an 83-ball 63. Bangar insisted that her future is bright in the longest format.Â
"Her (Shafali ) future can only be bright and the only way she's going to go from here is up and the sky is the limit. Even though India play less Test matches, but this was a fantastic opportunity and the way she approached the game was refreshing. She played with a fearless attitude and put the opposition on the backfoot straightaway. This is very rare," he added.
