WTC Final: A win for a country with limited resources against 'powerhouse' India is amazing, says McCullum

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum on Thursday hailed Kane Williamson and Co for beating a "very formidable Indian side" in a rain-hit World Test Championship (WTC) final. New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets to clinch the maiden WTC title despite two days of the Test getting washed out by rain in Southampton.

Considering New Zealand had lost their previous two finals of an International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament, McCullum said he feared for Williamson's side. Under McCullum's captaincy, the BlackCaps lost the 2015 World Cup final to Australia before Williamson-led Kiwis lost the 2019 World Cup final to England.

"I'm not sure it's sunk in yet. Overnight the game was on a bit of a knife-edge - it almost had that feeling of the previous two World Cups, get close but we won't quite get across the line. But for them to have been able to manufacture a result against the weather and a very formidable Indian side, to do it on the biggest stage is quite superb," McCullum said on SEN Radio.

While it was New Zealand's second ICC trophy, it was first for the current side. New Zealand have massively improved over the years and the beginning to this memorable journey had started during McCullum's days as the national skipper.

"I'm sure over the coming days, weeks even years we'll look back at this moment and be so proud of what Kane's (Williamson) men have been able to achieve and the heights they've been able to scale. For a country with pretty limited resources it is pretty amazing really and to do it against the powerhouse of world cricket on the biggest stage is something that makes it more satisfying," the wicketkeeper-batsman added further.

The 39-year-old went on to say that it was fitting that Williamson and Ross Taylor – the all-time leading run scorers for New Zealand in Tests – finished the game for their country. Taylor and Williamson put up an unbeaten 96-run stand for the third wicket, with the former hitting the winning runs at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. While Williamson scored 52, becoming the only batsman to score a fifty in the match, Taylor scored 47 in New Zealand's chase of 139.

"Those chases are horrible - 140 seems like a mountain of runs, especially when you know what the carrot is at the end. Thought it was really fitting to see New Zealand's two greats, really, when you talk batting, to see [them] home. There was a bit of luck and good fortune along the way but in this game, you are entitled to a little bit (of luck) if you keep banging the door down. You could see on the faces of Kane and Ross just how much it meant to them and how satisfying to finally be able to climb that ladder," McCullum said.