WTC Final: How do India and New Zealand fare at Ageas Bowl in Southampton? A look at key stats

The BCCI president on Monday confirmed that the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand will be hosted by the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. The summit clash is scheduled to be held between June 18-22.  

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

"Yeah, it is in Southampton. It was decided 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." 

The Ageas Bowl in Southampton boasts a five-star hotel attached to the stadium and provides plenty of logistical and operational convenience in times of bio-secure bubbles. Southampton had hosted matches between England and West Indies, and Pakistan.   

How do India and New Zealand fare at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton: A look at key stats

So how do India and New Zealand fare at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton? With the venue of the ICC World Test Championship all but officially confirmed, let us take a look at some of the key stats from both India and New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl. 

Only 6 Tests hosted by Ageas Bowl

The Ageas Bowl has hosted just six Test matches thus far with India playing two of them. However, India don't have a great record at the venue with MS-Dhoni led India suffering a 266-run hammering back in 2014. The match was dominated by the likes of Gary Ballance and Ian Bell who registered centuries. whereas James Anderson ended with seven wickets in the match including a five-for. 

Virat Kohli leads run-scoring charts for India at the Ageas Bowl

In 2018, when Virat Kohli-led India played in Southampton, the visitors suffered a 60-run defeat. While India started the match on the front foot, even taking a first-innings lead, poor performance with the bat in the second innings helped England win the Test match. Cheteshwar Pujara had registered a gritty century in the first innings but no one apart from Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane managed to tackle the English bowlers in the second innings. Moeen Ali was the standout bowler for England as he ended up with a total of nine wickets in the match. 

ALSO READ: IND vs NZ: Southampton to host ICC World Test Championship final, confirms Sourav Ganguly

Talking about individual performances, the matches at Ageas Bowl have been dominated by both batsmen and bowlers. While pacers enjoy early assistance, spinners have come into play in the third and fourth innings of the matches played in Southampton. 

England's Zak Crawley has scored the most number of runs at the Ageas Bowl with 406 runs (in 4 innings) under his belt. For India, Virat Kohli has registered most number of runs at the venue with 171 runs in 4 innings at an average of 42.75. Ajinkya Rahane is next on the list with 168 runs in 4 innings at an average of 56 followed by Cheteshwar Pujara with 163 runs at an average of 54.33. 

Mohammed Shami leads wicket-taking charts for India at the Ageas Bowl

In terms of bowling performances, James Anderson is the leading wicket-taker at the venue with 26 scalps in just six matches. For India, Mohammed Shami leads the list with 7 wickets in 2 matches followed by Ravindra Jadeja (5), Ishant Sharma (4), Jasprit Bumrah (4) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4). 

ALSO READ: BCCI likely to send second-string India squad for Asia Cup 2021: Report

New Zealand yet to play a Test in Southampton

New Zealand haven't played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton when it comes to the longest format of the game but the Black Caps have been in action in limited-overs cricket. 

In ODIs, New Zealand have played three matches at the venue with two wins and a no-result. In 2013, New Zealand defeated England by 86 runs and three wickets respectively to bag their twin wins in Southampton. 

The ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on June 18-22 promises to be a cracker of a contest.