WTC Final: Virat Kohli pouches a stunner to cut short Tom Latham's stay in the middle

Tom Latham had survived for over 100 deliveries, and it looked as though the New Zealand batsman would build on his solid start and get a big score for the Kiwis. But, a clever piece of bowling from Ravichandran Ashwin and brilliant fielding from Indian skipper Virat Kohli proved to be Latham’s undoing.

Ashwin gave the ball a lot of air and induced Latham into the drive. Latham fell for the bait set by Ashwin and went for an extravagant cover drive. And, Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who was stationed at cover took an excellent catch to cut short Latham’s stay out in the middle. Kohli leaped in the air to his left in a jiffy and pouched a stunner.

The left-handed Latham departed after scoring 30 off 104 deliveries. His knock consisted of 3 fours. Both Ashwin, as well as skipper Kohli, were ecstatic after Latham’s dismissal.

You can watch the brilliant catch taken by Virat Kohli in the video below

Magic from Ashwin & Captain Kohli.🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/jaP8zYOVkE

— Nrcb. (@geniuswithbat) June 20, 2021

New Zealand gain the advantage over India in the WTC Final

The New Zealand batsmen adopted a cautious approach in the WTC Final against India. The Kiwi openers, Tom Latham and Devon Conway were stoic and resolute and put on an excellent partnership of 70 runs off 34.2 overs. At the time of writing, Devon Conway has scored a solid 143-ball 54, while Kane Williamson is giving him company and is batting on 12. The Kiwi total reads 101/1.

Earlier in the day, it was a brilliant spell from Kyle Jamieson that baffled the Indian batsmen. The 26-year-old is tall, and he used his height to get sharp bounce off the deck. Jamieson also moved the ball both ways to constantly trouble the Indian batsmen.

He picked up 5 wickets, and gave away 31 runs in his 22-over spell, as India were bowled out for a total of 217. For India, it was Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli who scored runs on a tricky pitch and against a menacing bowling attack. While Indian skipper Virat Kohli scored 44 off 132 deliveries, his deputy Rahane scored a 117-ball 49.