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The stage is set as India and Australia are set to clash for the ICC World Test Championship title in the second cycle, with the Final beginning from 7 June (Wednesday) at the Kennington Oval in London.
Both India and Australia teams grabbed the top two spots in the WTC points table to make it to the final.
While Australia clinched the top spot in the points table, India managed to get the 2nd spot by defeating Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by 2-1. Australia finished with a win percentage of 66.67. India captured a win percentage of 58.80. During the tournament, India played a total of 18 games.
The Last edition’s runner-up won 10 matches and lost 5. There were 3 games that ended in draws. Out of 6 Test series, India won 4, lost 1 and tied 1. On the other hand, Australia played 19 matches during the WTC Championship. They won 11 games and lost 3, while 3 ended in a draw.
India vs Australia recent Test Matches
In recent years India dominated Australia in tests. India has defeated Australia in their home twice. In the last five test matches Australia has only won 1 Test match while they have lost 3 tests and drawn 1.
Probable XI:
Pat Cummins has confirmed the Australia’s bowling lineup for the WTC Final.
Australia’s (Probable XI): 1. David Warner, 2. Usman Khawaja, 3. Marnus Labuschagne, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Travis Head, 6. Cameron Green, 7. Alex Carey (WK), 8. Pat Cummins (C), 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Nathan Lyon 11. Scott Boland.
India’s (Probable XI): 1. Rohit Sharma (C), 2. Shubman Gill, 3. Cheteshwar Pujara, 4. Virat Kohli, 5. Ajinkya Rahane, 6. KS Bharat (WK), 7. Ravichandran Ashwin, 8. Ravindra Jadeja, 9. Shardul Thakur, 10. Mohd. Shami, 11. Mohd. Siraj.
Players to watch out for:
Australia
Australia and India have an iconic rivalry in International Cricket. The number 3 position holds great importance for any team in test cricket. Marnus Labuschagne has proven himself to be a formidable force in this role. Steve Smith and Travis Head are prolific batsmen in Australia’s lineup. Mitchell Starc, the left-arm pacer, will undoubtedly play a significant role against India’s top order.
India
India has a star-studded lineup for the WTC 2023 Final. Shubman Gill was brilliant in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. He amassed 890 runs in 17 games. Ajinkya Rahane will return to International Cricket after an 18-months hiatus. Ravindra Jadeja the protagonist of the IPL Final, has made strides in becoming an all-rounder in recent years. India’s Former captain, Virat Kohli, has most runs against Australia and experience on The Oval Stadium. Furthermore, fans have high expectations from Cheteshwar Pujara.
Some interesting facts:
Rohit Sharma needs two sixes to overtake MS Dhoni’s record of hitting 16 sixes against Australia.
Virat Kohli needs one century to overtake Sunil Gavaskar’s records of scoring 8 centuries against Australia.
Cheteshwar Pujara needs 111 runs to overtake Rahul Dravid’s record of scoring the most runs against Australia.
Squads:
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner.
Standby players: Mitch Marsh, Matthew Renshaw
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).
Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav
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