Beginning on June 7, the World Test Championship final between India and Australia will take place at London’s Kennington Oval. Two of the best bowling teams currently playing Test cricket will square off in this match.
Bowlers will feel a little more accountable for the game as both teams have recently struggled with a flimsy middle order in the two-year cycle. The Indian team will have their work cut out for them without Rishabh Pant, who along with Ravindra Jadeja has been the foundation of the lower middle order.
For the first three days of batting, the London Oval has a reputation for being a great surface. It has historically been a drier, harder surface that offers good bounce and carry. Additionally, the ball may scuff up due to the rough surface, which might lead to a reverse swing.
The wicket would still be favourable for batting, but both pacers and spinners will have something to look forward to. Rahul Dravid leads the Indian batsmen in terms of records at the Oval, scoring 443 runs at a Bradman-like average of 110.75 in just three tests. As the Indian team’s coach this time, Dravid would be at The Oval.
Regarding the present Indian team, KL Rahul (249 runs in two matches) and Pant (178 runs in two matches) rank among the top run scorers at the stadium.
What about the Indian batsmen who will play in the World Test Championship championship match?
Here we will talk about those Indian batsmen who have historically performed admirably at London’s Kennington Oval
1. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, who has experienced both success and failure on this field, still managed to score 169 runs in three games. James Anderson and Stuart Broad made him their bunny during his torturous 2014 tour, which saw him push everything outside off.
But on his subsequent Test tour to England in 2018, Kohli came roaring back and amassed over 500 runs in the five-match series. Even though Anderson, the great English seamer, required him to work hard for his runs, he never lost a wicket to him.
Kohli was in the midst of a slump and didn’t have any memorable innings during the following England Test tour in 2021. Even so, he still managed to score 50 and 44 runs in the first and third innings, respectively, which helped India easily defeat the English team.
2. Rohit Sharma
The only Test Rohit Sharma has ever played at the Oval saw him score 138 runs, including the match-winning hundred of 127. This performance occurred in the third innings of the test match against England when India needed to bat themselves out of a 99-run deficit in order to win the match.
Rohit made the decision to play more cautiously and close to his body after being caught playing away from the body in the first innings, which decreased the likelihood of false shots. His century not only contributed to India winning the Test, but it also established him as a Test opener.
3. Ravindra Jadeja
At the Oval, where he has played well on several occasions, Ravindra Jadeja has taken 11 wickets in just two games and scored 126 runs.
Who could forget one of his hardest knocks, an 86*, he played in a 2018 match against England? It was his comeback game, and he and Hanuma Vihari helped India out of trouble by cutting a 100+ run deficit to just 40 runs. In that game, he also scored four runs, but he was unable to help India win the Test.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates