A team full of skill and passion will look to end a decade-long drought of the ICC (International Cricket Council) title when India take on a strong Australian team in the World Test Championship (WTC) final here from Wednesday.
India have been the most consistent team in the last two cycles of the WTC and have managed to make it to the knockout stages of almost all the major white-ball tournaments in the last 10 years but still haven’t won the title. India won the last ICC title in 2013 in the form of Champions Trophy in England. After this, India had to face defeat in the final three times while the team lost in the semi-finals four times.
The team made an early exit from the 2021 T20 World Cup. Out of the six series of the current cycle, India lost the only series in South Africa after which Virat Kohli stepped down as captain and Rohit Sharma was handed over the responsibility of leading the team. The Indian team was unbeaten at home, drew a tight series in England and won despite being in trouble in Bangladesh.
Whatever may be the result at The Oval, head coach Rahul Dravid’s approach towards the team will not change. Dravid said before the final, ‘You see this as the end of two years of work. This is the culmination of a process of achieving immense success that brought you here. “Winning series in Australia, drawing here, being very competitive wherever this team has played in the last five or six years. I think these things will never change, whether you win the ICC title or not.
India played two spinners ignoring the conditions against New Zealand in Southampton two years ago but the decision backfired. The Oval is hosting a Test match in June for the first time in its 143-year history. India would be keen on playing the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja but it is summer in England and on fresh pitches a fourth pacer could be a better option.
In the absence of wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, the Indian team management will have to decide whether it needs an ‘X factor’ (match-changer) in Ishan Kishan or a more reliable wicketkeeper in KS Bharat. In the fast bowling department, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are set to play while experienced Umesh Yadav and all-rounder Shardul Thakur are posing the challenge as the third option.
Most of the players of the Indian team have come here after playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two months and have got only a week to train together in English conditions. In the modern era players are expected to adjust to different formats but playing Test cricket in England is never easy.
It will not be easy for Indian batsmen to face fast bowlers like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. Where is this match going to be the ‘Ultimate Test’ and of course in this match experienced players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli apart from rising stars like Shubman Gill will be tested. Cheteshwar Pujara would like to replicate his good form in county cricket in this match while Ajinkya Rahane will be eager to make a comeback.
Unlike the Indian team, the Australian players have not got much chance to get match fit but they will go into this match fresh. Only three players from the team played in the IPL while Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were part of the county teams. Players like Pat Cummins opted to prepare at home. The outcome of the match will largely depend on how the top order of both the teams perform against quality pace bowling.
Australia have high hopes from opener Usman Khawaja while David Warner will be looking to make a mark in the final phase of his career. Smith averages 100 at this ground and will need to get him out early if India have to get hold of the match. Experienced off-spinner Nathan Lyon has the ability to trouble opposition batsmen no matter what the pitch behaves while Cameron Green’s role as an all-rounder will also be crucial.
The team is as follows:-
Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.
reserve: Mitchell Marsh and Matt Renshaw.
India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, KS Bharat, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Akshar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, and Umesh Yadav.
reserve: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav.
Time: The match will start at 3:00 pm Indian time.
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