Sir Richard Hadlee: Current group of New Zealand players best in our history

Over the past two years, the BlackCaps performances in the Test arena have been outstanding with Test match and series wins at home and abroad, and they thoroughly deserve to be crowned world champions

Former New Zealand all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee on Thursday said that the Kiwis showed great professionalism against India in the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC).

Hadlee's comments came as New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets in the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) on Wednesday here at the Ageas Bowl. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor played unbeaten knocks off 52 and 47 respectively as New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets to clinch the inaugural edition of the WTC.

"This is a special day in the history of NZ cricket, a day to celebrate the magnificent achievement of winning the inaugural World Test Championship. It was a thrilling Test match, with twists and turns throughout and, despite the inclement weather and loss of time, it was a dominant BLACKCAPS performance over a very good Indian team," Hadlee said in a statement, released by New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

Over the past two years, the BlackCaps performances in the Test arena have been outstanding with Test match and series wins at home and abroad, and they thoroughly deserve to be crowned world champions. The whole team has shown a high degree of professionalism. Their skill sets have complimented each other to make them a complete playing unit," he added.

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A complete effort on the Reserve Day saw New Zealand edging India in a final which had its ebbs and flows in the first innings. The Kiwis made full use of the slender 32-run lead and the Williamson-led side bundled out India cheaply in the second innings to get a target of just 139. The batsmen did not relent and in the end, the side walked away with a comfortable victory.

"The management and support staff have also played important roles in preparing players to perform at the highest level. Over the years NZC have built a significant depth of players, which makes us one of the most competitive teams in world cricket. It's fair to say that this current group of players is the best in our history," he added.

Earlier, Tim Southee scalped four wickets as India was bundled out for 170 in the second innings on the Reserve Day. The inspired show with the ball ensured that New Zealand would need to score 139 runs in a minimum of 53 overs to win the title.

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