World Test Championship final: ‘We love you’, Twitter erupts with joy as New Zealand end two-decade wait for ICC title

Here are some of the reactions to New Zealand's eight-wicket victory over India in the final of the ICC World Test Championship final in Southampton.

FirstCricket Staff|Jun 24, 2021, 00:51:13 IST

New Zealand enjoyed the greatest triumph in their cricket history as they beat India by eight wickets in the inaugural World Test Championship final at Southampton on Wednesday.Two years after their agonising Super Over loss to England in the 50-over World Cup final at Lord's, the Black Caps claimed their first major global title.Set a modest target of 139 in 53 overs, New Zealand finished on 140-2 with time to spare in a match extended into a reserve sixth day following two days lost to rain.Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reduced New Zealand to 44-2 by removing openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway to the delight of India fans.But New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, the team's most-experienced batsmen, settled any lingering nerves in an unbroken stand of 96.Williamson, who won plaudits for the sporting way he dealt with defeat in the 2019 World Cup final, was 52 not out. It was only the second fifty of the match after New Zealand opener Devon Conway's first-innings effort and followed Williamson's first-innings 49.Taylor, who hit the winning boundary, was unbeaten on 47.Let us take a look at some of the reactions pouring in on social networking giant Twitter, from past and current cricketers and fans alike:The man who led the revolution in New Zealand cricket in the previous decade:

The 'Master Blaster' hails the Black Caps as the superior team in the final:

Tendulkar's not the only former Indian cricketer to give New Zealand a pat on their back, as VVS joined the chorus too:

Ex-Black Cap Grant Elliott, hero of the 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final, congratulates Kane Williamson's side:

Outplayed on just one of the six days, and the ICC mace slips out of India's grasp:

The South Africans might not be anywhere close to the top three, but certainly won't mind some friendly banter:

The All Blacks join in to congratulate their cricket counterparts, the Black Caps:

With inputs from AFP

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