Cricket News
Taking a look at the probable India XI vs Australia in the WTC Final
India will play in its second World Test Championship final and it will be played at The Oval once again starting on June 7 after making it there the first time around and succumbing to New Zealand by eight wickets in Southampton. The team has a few talking points, with Rohit Sharma serving as the opening batter. Given the significant difference in the playing field from when they last faced Australia, it will be very intriguing to see who makes up their starting eleven.
Take a look at the probable India XI vs Australia in the WTC Final: –
1) Openers (Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill)
Rohit Sharma (Source: Twitter)
The openers pick themselves as the skipper Rohit Sharma will set out to open the batting with Shubman Gill. Despite not having a very impressive reputation in Tests in England, Rohit can still be confident after scoring 100 against England at The Oval two years ago.
In limited-overs cricket, Shubman Gill has performed remarkably well, amassing a lot of runs versus Sri Lanka and New Zealand. In Ahmedabad, the 23-year-old scored 128 runs in the last two Tests against Australia.
2) Middle order (Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane)
Ajinkya Rahane (Source: Twitter)
The middle order of Pujara, Kohli and Rahane are back once again after Rahane was picked by the Indian team management after his great exploits in the IPL. The Indian batting order is undoubtedly held together by Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been doing great so for a while. With an average of over 50 versus Australia, the Saurashtra batsman is well renowned for regularly frustrating the bowlers.
Virat Kohli will be one of the most valued wickets with them as he can swiftly take the game away from the opponent and will take encouragement from his 186 versus Australia in Ahmedabad. However, the Aussies will be eager to exploit the batter’s vulnerability to the moving ball.
Ajinkya Rahane is almost certainly guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup with Shreyas Iyer out of the match. His familiarity with English weather will be a huge asset to Team India. The seasoned cricketer excels at slip fielding in the slip cordon and that is surely an added benefit for the Indian team.
3) Wicketkeeper (KS Bharat)
KS Bharat (Source: Twitter)
The only debatable pick in the probable India XI will be the wicketkeeper spot since the two young keepers KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan are fighting for this spot. The fact that Ishan Kishan wasn’t part of the squad earlier and was picked after KL Rahul’s injury, is proof that the Indian team management is going to back KS Bharat in the final.
The selection committee had little option but to continue using KS Bharat behind the stumps because Rishabh Pant was still injured. Bharat struggled with the bat against Australia, despite having a respectable performance behind the stumps. In the last Test at Ahmedabad, he achieved his highest score of 44.
4) All-rounders (Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin)
Ravindra Jadeja (Source: Twitter)
For many years, India’s first-choice all-rounder in international Test matches has been Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja has played some solid cricket in England, scoring 103 runs across 11 games. If India has the chance to take advantage of the surface in the fourth innings, he can be a handful. Ravindra Jadeja might also bat above Rahane since he is the only left-handed batting option in the Indian team.
There is also a toss-up whether to go with a spin all-rounder in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin or go with the medium-pace option of Shardul Thakur. Ashwin will most likely get the go-ahead since he played the final game two years back at the Oval and his batting is similar to Thakur’s. His tendency to get wickets against left-handers would be a reason why Indian team might go with him over the pacer.
5) Pacers (Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav)
Mohammed Siraj (Source: Twitter)
Unquestionably one of the top new-ball bowlers in the game right now, Mohammed Shami has a propensity for getting wickets one after another. David Warner, a left-handed batter, who suffered twice throughout the Test series in India, will be another target for Shami, who is anxious to take advantage of his flaw.
Jaydev Unadkat won’t likely be chosen above Umesh Yadav because he hasn’t participated in a Test in England yet. The Vidarbha seamer boasts nine scalps at a strike rate of 23.56 in two Tests in England and can produce reverse swing using the old cherry. In English conditions, his sheer speed can be deadly, and even when he does not succeed in taking the wickets, he makes sure to apply pressure on the opposition’s batters.
In the WTC final, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are the likely ones to share the new ball. One of the sharpest bowlers in Test cricket right now is the 28-year-old. After the most recent WTC final, Siraj would like to make a mark. In five Games in England, Siraj has taken 18 wickets at an average of 33.