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Xtra Time Web Desk: Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson will walk in the Ageas Bowl on Friday with an expectation of their countries, winning the inaugural ICC World Test Championship Final. Both will be carrying the tag ‘batting great’ and will be expected to do justice for their respective teams. It will be interesting to watch how the World No 2 and No 4 batsmen fare in the next five days at the Ageas Bowl.

Career Statistics:

Their mind-boggling stats mirror each other’s.  Kohli has scored 7490 runs at an average of 52.37 with a highest score of 254no. He has 27 test hundreds under his belt. Williamson on the other hand has registered 7129 runs at 53.60 with a top score of 251. The BlackCaps captain has scored 24 test tons.

Captaincy Records:

India captain Virat Kohli has an impressive 60% win record in tests. So far Kohli has led the country in 60 tests, registering 36 wins.  As captain he has scored 5392 runs at 58.60. He has scored 20 test tons including a double hundred (254*).  Williamson on the other hand has won 21 out of 36 tests he has led BlackCaps. He scored 3092 runs at an average of 60.62 during this time, including 11 tons. He also scored his highest test score of 251 as a captain.

Personalities:

The two have contrasting personalities; Kohli a snarling, combative on-field presence and Williamson humble and understated, contrasting but equally successful leadership styles.

Recent form:

Kohli hasn’t caused a flurry among the stats gurus of late. The Indian captain hasn’t scored a test century in his last 12 innings while averaging just 24 in that time against New Zealand, Australia and England. Williamson on the other hand did not have a great run either having scored just 10 runs fewer than Kohli with an average of only 26. In his last 7 tests Kohli has only managed to score 288 runs with a highest score of 74 against England. Williamson on the other hand has produced 750 runs in his last 6 tests including a top score of 251 against West Indies.

Head to Head:

In his 9 tests against the Kiwis, Kohli has scored 773 runs at an average of 51.53. He has scored 3 hundreds against New Zealand with his highest score being 211 runs.  Williamson on the other hand has scored 728 runs from 11 tests against India at an average of 36.40. Williamson has two test hundreds against India with a highest score of 132.  

Form in England:

Kohli has played 10 tests in England wherein he registered 727 runs at an average of 36.35 including two hundreds. His top score is 149 runs in England. Williamson has only scored 261 runs at an average of 26.10 in his five tests that he played on English soil. He has scored only one hundred (132) so far in England.

Elusive world title:

Neither skipper has led their side to a world title. On the big stage, a trademark big innings from either talisman could be the difference in what shapes as a tightly-fought, knife-edge contest for test supremacy.