India and Australia will play in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at London’s Kennington Oval from June 7 to June 11. For the gigantic match, both teams are currently gearing up. India (127 points) came in second place behind Australia (152 points), who took first place overall.
In fact, just before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, the two teams faced off in India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February and March of this year.
The opening two Test matches were fairly easily won by the hosts. They won the Delhi Test by six wickets after crushing the Australians in Nagpur by an innings and 132 runs.
Australia made a valiant comeback to win the third Test in Indore by nine wickets, and the final Test in Ahmedabad ended in a draw. However, India performed well enough to advance to the WTC final.
India will be optimistic going into the most recent match against Australia because they have had a lot of success against them recently. With regard to the WTC final, they face a few significant selection challenges. Here is the quick rundown.
1. The wicketkeeper: Ishan Kishan or KS Bharat?
Who should keep wickets in the WTC final—KS Bharat or Ishan Kishan—has been the subject of one of the biggest discussions up until now.
After Rishabh Pant was disqualified due to his car accident, the same conversation was had even before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Since Bharat had previously served as the Test squad’s backup keeper, he ultimately received the nod instead of Kishan. However, the 29-year-old Andhra Pradesh stumper struggled mightily in his series with the bat, scoring only 101 runs in six innings at an average of 20 points, with a best of 44. In the face of an effective Australian attack, he rarely appeared at ease.
Speaking of Kishan, he has participated in 14 ODIs and 27 T20Is but has not yet made his Test debut. Although the left-handed batter has played in 48 first-class matches, selecting him for the playing XI for the WTC final carries its own set of dangers.
Sunil Gavaskar says “The position of the keeper is a minor concern for Team India, according to former India captain Sunil Gavaskar. Bharat received his vote, beatin that No. Bharat (KS) or Ishan Kishan would be the sixth person. Since Bharat has participated in all of these matches thus far, they are bringing him up. So, at six, I’ll probably continue playing Bharat,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
2. Extra-rapid Umesh or Thakur’s all-around abilities?
India’s dilemma in the selection process is whether to select Umesh Yadav for his additional pace or Shardul Thakur for his all-around skills to improve the batting.
Over the past few years, Umesh has been in and out of the starting XI. His chances have been further hurt by Mohammed Siraj’s ascent to all-format bowler status.
The Vidarbha pacer has, to his credit, performed admirably in the few opportunities that have come his way. He made an impression with his 3/12 in five overs in the first innings of the Indore Test match against Australia earlier this year. Such brilliant spells seem to come naturally to Umesh.
The other contender, Thakur, last participated in an India red-ball match during the rescheduled Test matchup with England in Birmingham last year. He only managed to take one wicket and score five runs during his forgettable game with the bat and the ball.
Thakur has recently lost his edge, so it is unclear whether Team India will risk playing him in the WTC final.
According to former India selector Sarandeep Singh, “He would choose Umesh over Thakur because of his added speed while trusting the top and middle order to succeed with the willow.”
Because of his extra pace and ability to reverse the old ball on the Oval track, Umesh is Sarandeep’s choice over Shardul, according to PTI.
3. How should Ravichandran Ashwin fit in?
Ravindra Jadeja, an all-arounder, frequently replaces Ravichandran Ashwin when India decides to play one spinner in foreign conditions, which is frequently the case. Again, excluding him will be difficult given his crucial role in India’s success in the WTC semifinals.
On his current form, however, Jadeja is considered “undroppable,” so the skilled off-spinner could once again be targeted.
However, India can also enter the match with three pacers and two slow bowlers, which would enable Ashwin and Jadeja to be included in the starting XI for the WTC final. But will the Indian think tank go that way?
A former Indian batter [ Mohammed Kaif] claims that the No. Thakur or Ashwin could fill the eighth spot in the Indian playing XI, depending on the situation and the weather.
“At eight, depending on the pitch conditions, I would either bat Ashwin or Shardul. If the pitch favors spin, Ashwin can target left-handed batsmen like Warner, Travis Head, and Khawaja, so it will be a good match-up. Early in June, you will require three fast bowlers in addition to Jadeja, Ashwin, or Shardul, depending on the weather, he told Star Sports.”
In the current WTC (2021-23) cycle, Ashwin leads Team India in wickets taken. He has taken 61 wickets in 13 Test matches for an impressive average of 19 point 67.
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