Not handing the ball to lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah to start the third day's play on a challenging Eden Gardens surface was "questionable", said the legendary Anil Kumble.
The victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday has lifted England to first place and 70.2 percentage points on the points table.
Australia is on the cusp of scripting another milestone. If the Baggy Greens trounce the Proteas, they will become the first team to defend the WTC mace successfully.
''South Africa have got some world class batters and obviously they've got some unbelievable bowlers there as well so it's going to be a good challenge and obviously it's a one-off Test match.'
India stumbled to second place in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 table after suffering a 0-3 series whitewash against New Zealand.
New Zealand conjured up a remarkable victory for the second time in two weeks by chasing down a target of 285 runs on the final ball of the rain-shortened final day to beat Sri Lanka by two wickets.
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris feels India opener Rohit Sharma might find it difficult to negotiate the swinging ball during the ICC World Test Championship final against the Kiwis, beginning in Southampton on June 18.
The Indian team will stay in 'managed isolation' before the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, the ICC said on Saturday but did not mention the exact period of hard quarantine upon reaching UK.
India have already secured the Border-Gavaskar trophy and they will now be playing for a record-extending 16th straight series win at home
Aiden Markram himself knows what he is capable of -- and how to express it on a cricket field. And South Africa will be the biggest beneficiary in the coming years.
Taking aim at senior players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, among others, he said that if their aim was to prolong their send-offs till after the Ashes, it was a wrong mindset.
The ICC is considering awarding bonus points for innings victories or for a win above a certain big margin such as 100 runs.
India's spin duo of Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin wreaked havoc, taking all 10 wickets between them.
Images from Day 3 of the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, at The Hampshire Bowl, in Southampton, on Saturday.
Steve Smith has once again proved why he's Australia's go-to man in crunch matches-by eclipsing none other than Sachin Tendulkar in a major ICC knockout record.
Former South African captain Graeme Smith is confident that his country will end its long wait for an ICC trophy in 2023, with the Champions Trophy and World Test Championship final on the horizon. He believes the team is in a strong position to break their drought and is focused on developing the nation's cricket ecosystem ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
'I do believe India is very strong because lately we have been winning outside the country. I think our batting is stronger, in bowling they are at par.'
New Zealand's chances of delivering a famous series whitewash in India will depend on how well they adapt to the Mumbai pitch
Shastri lauded the team for making it to the WTC final despite the ICC changing the qualification criteria last year.
South Africa will co-host the next 50-over Cricket World Cup in 2027 along with Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Warner's participation was considered doubtful for the next red-ball assignments for Australia, especially after his horrendous run in India with the bat.
The shirt is signed by the entire Black Caps squad.
The Indian men ruled white-ball cricket, while South Africa ended decades of hurt by winning the World Test Championship at Lord's. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally lifted their maiden IPL title, though the celebrations were dimmed by a deadly stampede. Above all, it was India's women who won a billion hearts by finally adding an ICC World Cup trophy to the cabinet.
Perhaps, another Ranji title with Mumbai will be a fitting send off for Ajinkya Rahane.
South Africa's batting hero Aiden Markram has taken longer than expected to deliver on his promise, but a match-winning century against Australia in the World Test Championship final is being hailed as the biggest in the country's cricketing history.
Skipper Shubman Gill acknowledged that the choice between a spinner and an extra seamer for the first Test against South Africa is nothing short of a "conflict".
The structure of the nine-team WTC remains intact with each side playing three home and as many away series over a two-year period culminating in the final of a one-off Test.
Gavaskar is currently in Southampton with first-hand knowledge about the pitch and conditions for the match starting June 18.
Batting coach Vikram Rathour on Saturday said that a first innings score of 250-plus will put India in a fighting position against New Zealand, keeping the prevailing conditions in Southampton in mind during the ICC World Test Championship final.
India breezed into the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) following their 3-1 series victory against England on Sunday but head coach Ravi Shastri is still bitter how the qualifying rules were changed last year.
Proteas edge Pakistan to win thriller at Centurion
Australia's Travis Head and Steve Smith gave India a repeat of their nightmare in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
WTC-bound SA players to miss play-offs after BCCI asks teams to release them by May 26
Josh Hazlewood is likely to rejoin Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the IPL playoffs, having recovered from a shoulder niggle.
Kagiso Rabada etched another milestone into his illustrious career on Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's
The win propelled New Zealand from sixth to fourth in the updated standings, with a win-loss percentage of 44.44%,
'I want to win games, I want to win championships'
'If opener is where I need to bat to be playing in the Test team, that's fine.'
Rahul Chahar would have added another dimension to India's attack.
Cheteshwar Pujara's retirement from Indian cricket on Sunday prompted an outpouring of tributes, none more heartfelt than Jaydev Unadkat's.
