New Zealand won the maiden World Test Championship final by an eight-wicket margin over India on Wednesday in Southampton. The Blackcaps won their first major worldwide championship two years after suffering a sad and tragic Super Over loss to England in the 50-over World Cup final at Lord's.

Given a modest goal of 139 in 53 overs, New Zealand completed on 140-2 with enough time to spare in a match that was prolonged into a reserve sixth day due to rain on the first two days.

To the joy of India fans, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reduced New Zealand to 44-2 after dismissing openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway. But, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, the team's most seasoned batsmen, calmed any remaining concerns with an unbroken 96-run stand.

Williamson, who received praise for his sporting demeanor in the 2019 World Cup final, remained 52 not out after his first-innings 49, with Taylor – who struck the winning boundary – undefeated on 47.

Cheteshwar Pujara missed a regulation slip catch off from the unlucky Jasprit Bumrah to rescue Taylor on 26 with New Zealand 55 runs away from victory at 84-2. Bumrah dismissed Williamson just before he accomplished an 86-ball fifty which included the eight fours, making him one of the greatest batters of his generation.

Taylor brought the match to a close in the 46th over when he blasted Mohammed Shami off his pads for four runs. In a match dictated by bowlers, it was New Zealand's all-pace attack that did most of the damage on Wednesday, eliminating India for 170 in their second innings despite blue skies offering the greatest batting conditions of the game.

Tim Southee grabbed wickets at both ends of the innings in a 19-over effort of 4-48, while Trent Boult struck twice for an over during his 3-39. Kyle Jamieson followed this up to his first-innings 5-31 by snaring India skipper Virat Kohli for the second time in the match with a miserly 2-30 in 24 overs.

New Zealand, whose only earlier men's championship in an International Cricket Council competition was just a one-day final victory against India in the Champions Trophy in 2000, might have faced an even relatively small target had Rishabh Pant not been dropped on five during his 41-ball innings.

Few cricket fans would envy New Zealand, a country with a population of about five million compared to India's 1.3 billion, its achievement. However, they reached a final worth $1.6 million to the victors, buoyed by a recent 1-0 series triumph in England, while India had been playing their first Test since March.

The reserve day was used in the expectation that a two-year campaign to crown red-ball cricket's first recognized global champions would finish with an outright winner. This was the first time a Test has gone into a sixth day since the 2005 Super Series in Australia.

India began on 64-2, with crucial batsman Kohli adding only five runs to his overnight eight before falling to Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate Jamieson, pushing to BJ Watling in the wicketkeeper's penultimate match before retiring.

Overall scoreboard of Wednesday:

India 1st Innings 217 (K Jamieson 5-31)

New Zealand 1st Innings 249 (D Conway 54; Mohammmed Shami 4-76, Ishant Sharma 3-48)

India 2nd Innings (overnight: 64-2)

· R Sharma lbw b Southee    30

· S Gill lbw b Southee    8

· C Pujara c Taylor b Jamieson    15

· V Kohli c Watling b Jamieson    13

· A Rahane c Watling b Boult    15

· R Pant c Nicholls b Boult    41

· R Jadeja c Watling b Wagner    16

· R Ashwin c Taylor b Boult    7

· M Shami c Latham b Southee    13

· I Sharma not out    1

· J Bumrah c Latham b Southee    0

Extras (b1, lb8, nb1, w1)    11

Total (all out, 73 overs, 346 mins)    170

Bowling: Southee 19-4-48-4; Boult 15-2-39-3; Jamieson 24-10-30-2 (1nb, 1w); Wagner 15-2-44-1

New Zealand 2nd Innings (target 139)

· T Latham st Pant b Ashwin    9

· D Conway lbw b Ashwin    19

· K Williamson not out    52

· R Taylor not out    47

· Extras (lb11, nb2)    13

Total (2 wkts, 45.5 overs, 204 mins) 140

Bowling: Ishant 6.2-2-21-0; Shami 10.5-3-31-0; Bumrah 10.4-2-35-0; Ashwin 10-5-17-2; Jadeja 8-1-25-0 (2nb)

Result: New Zealand won by eight wickets

Player of the match: Kyle Jamieson (NZL)