3 Key Players for India in WTC 2023 Final
Team India celebrate a win against Australia at home in 2023 (Twitter)
The Indian team recently touched base in England, and instantly hit the ground up and running for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. The match will be played out at The Oval in England between June 7 and June 11.
The much-awaited summit clash marks a culmination of the two-year championship cycle, where the two finalists emerged at the top of the points table.
As Rohit Sharma’s draw-cards gear up for the imminent title shootout, here we look at India’s three potentially key players who could make a difference in the contest.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli celebrates his Test ton against Australia (BCCI)
Virat Kohli signalled his return to form earlier this year, by bludgeoning a fluent 186 against title opponents Australia. The innings marked an end to his three-and-a-half-year century drought in Test cricket, thus issuing a stern warning to the Australians in his final inning before the ultimate clash.
In the years since his Test debut, Kohli has also proven to be Australia’s biggest thorn in the flesh, as he averages a staggering 48.26 against them. The 34-year-old will be hoping to weave his magic once again with the bat amidst tough conditions at The Oval.
Even though the batting veteran averages just 33.32 in England, his experience and familiarity with the opponents makes him one of India’s best bet for unleashing calculated aggression against a hostile Australian attack. Needless to say, the legendary batter holds key to India’s top order, and his wicket might well decide the fate of the WTC final.
Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj would be keen to improve his Kennington Oval track record, considering he picked up just one wicket at the venue the last time he turned up here two years ago. Back then, the speedster was part of a match-winning pace quartet, where he teamed up with Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur.
With Bumrah’s injury-prone absence this time around, captain Rohit Sharma will be over-reliant on the Hyderabadi pacer to deliver crucial breakthroughs with the new ball.
The cricketer has already delivered match-winning spells against Australia, and was one of the primary architects of India’s emphatic win against England at Lord’s in 2021. Notably, the conditions at The Oval are somewhat similar to that of London’s other venue.
With a World Championship on the line, Siraj will be aiming to dismantle the Australians to give India an early advantage in the game.
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round factor recently trumped the Australians, albeit at his home conditions back in India. The left-arm spinner has claimed 85 wickets against Australia, thus accounting for nearly a third of his overall Test tally against them.
Jadeja also holds invaluable experience in English conditions, and was part of the Indian unit that triumphed at the venue two years ago.
While the Kennington Oval surface is known to be conducive for pacers upfront, the pitch eases out for spinners to dominate in the final two innings of matches played here. Off late, spin bowlers have held better strike-rates here than pacers in the third and fourth innings.
Jadeja’s record in England, and at The Oval, might temp captain Sharma to include him in playing XI against familiar foes Australia.
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