New Zealand‘s “nice guys” won a battle of grit and determination as they defeated India by eight wickets on the reserve day of the rain-hit final to win the World Test Championship final on Wednesday.

The win ended the
Black Caps’ 21-year-wait to win an ICC trophy, with commentator Simon Doull
perfectly summing up their moment of elation after years of heartbreak by
saying, “sometimes nice guys do finish first”.

New Zealand
experienced a period of slump after winning the Champions Trophy in 2000, but have since rallied back to become one of the world’s most consistent teams across formats in recent years.

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The Kiwis
reached the final of the ODI World Cups in 2015 and 2019, but lost on both occasions
to Australia and England respectively.

And winless
after their first two series in the World Test Championship, the second of
which was a 3-0 drubbing in Australia, it was a tough ask for the Kiwis to reach the final. However, a run of three consecutive 2-0 series wins – over West
Indies, Pakistan and eventual finalists India – saw them become the first finalists.

The Kiwis then defied all odds to defeat table-toppers India
in the final. Two entire days of the final, at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, were
washed out and the match seemed destined to be heading towards a draw. with New
Zealand not even hallway through their first innings at the start of the fifth
day’s play on Tuesday.

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But the “nice guys” of New Zealand found a way. After edging ahead of India’s first innings total on the fifth day, the Black Caps bundled out India for 170 and chased down the 139-target within the same day. 

A number of heroes emerged over the course of the last six days. Kyle Jamieson ensured India were up against it from the start with a brilliant fifer in the first innings, for which he was adjudged player of the match.

Skipper Kane Williamson toiled for over five hours as he anchored the Kiwi’s first innings. Tim Southee played a handy-cameo to help take his side 32 runs ahead in the first innings. 

Southee then took four key wickets as in the second innings, and Williamson scored a brilliant half-century, forging a 96-run stand with veteran Ross Taylor, to take New Zealand over the line. 

But it was their collective superiority over India that got them over the line and their utter sportsmanship that makes it satisfying for even neutrals.