Ashwin, Labuschagne top WTC charts; Kohli fails to finish in top 10

New Zealand won the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship by emerging victorious in the final versus India at Southampton. Skipper Kane Williamson (52) top-scored for the Kiwis in the second innings as Ross Taylor (44) finished the game with a boundary. 

After two years (2019-2021) of high-quality Test cricket, thrilling games like Gabba and Edgbaston, stunning catches and career-defining innings, WTC came down to a Day 6 decision. 

Also read: Despite WTC defeat, Virat Kohli is all praises for New Zealand

Apart from the brilliant team effort, the championship also saw individual wonders. Here are some statistics from the World Test Championship:

Highest run_scorers: The first concussion substitute of cricket, Marnus Labuschagne topped the run charts with 1675 runs in 13 games at an average of 72.82. Joe Root, Steve Smith, Ben Stokes and Ajinkya Rahane follow Labuschange in order. Interestingly, Indian skipper Virat Kohli (934 runs in 15 matches) failed to feature in the top 10. 

1) Marnus Labuschagne (AUS) – 1675 runs in 13 matches 

2) Joe Root (ENG) – 1660 runs in 20 matches

3) Steve Smith (AUS) – 1341 runs in 13 matches

4) Ben Stokes (ENG) – 1334 runs in 17 matches 

5) Ajinkya Rahane (IND) – 1159 runs in 18 matches 

Highest wicket-takers: Ravichandran Ashwin picked two wickets in the second innings of the WTC final to emerge as the top wicket-taker of the championship. Ashwin pipped Pat Cummins by one wicket. Stuart Broad, Tim Southee and Nathan Lyon are others on the list. 

1) Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) – 71 wickets in 14 matches

2) Pat Cummins (AUS) – 70 wickets in 14 matches

3) Stuart Broad (ENG) – 69 wickets in 17 matches 

4) Tim Southee (NZ) – 56 wickets in 11 matches

5) Nathan Lyon (AUS) – 56 wickets in 14 matches