New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner believes the World Test Championship (WTC) final versus India is like a World Cup title-decider for him as he has never played a white-ball game so far for his country.

“Yeah, it is like a World Cup final for me. The biggest disappointment, I guess, in my career is that I’ve never really played a white-ball game for New Zealand or never been able to crack into the T20 or the one-day game,” Wagner was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

“That ship has probably sailed now and I don’t think the opportunity will ever come. For me now, it’s about putting all my focus and energy into Test cricket and to be able to play in a World Test Championship final is like a World Cup for me.”

Wagner’s views were quite similar to that of senior India bowlers Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, who had both spoken on similar lines about the WTC final a few months back. Wagner, though, is careful about not letting the occasion get the better of him.

“I know this final is the first and there isn’t a lot of history around it, but it’s the start of something that’s pretty big. “To play in a one-off Test final against India — one of the best teams in the world, if not the best — to be able to test yourself against the best on the highest and biggest stage, that’s what it is about.

“It’s extremely exciting, but I don’t want to think too far ahead... Don’t want to let the occasion get to me, just treat it like another Test match and do the same things I do. It’s definitely going to be a special occasion. That’s for sure.”