The eagerly awaited World Test Championship final, which begins on Wednesday at The Oval, will feature a showdown between India and Australia.
Australia has made it to the final for the first time, while India reached the championship game in the 2021 tournament but lost to New Zealand by eight wickets.
In a recent Border Gavaskar Trophy matchup between the two teams in India, the home team won handily thanks to some outstanding performances from the spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Together, the pair secured 47 wickets. But the WTC final will be a totally different game. TOI examines the strategies that will determine the final result.
Let’s see 3 players who could be the game-changer with the bat!
1. Steven Smith
The 34-year-old veteran batter would be an important player in the Australian camp who could score the most runs against team India. Steven Smith enjoys playing against Men in Blue as he has an average of 65.06 runs against the Indian side.
He is currently suffering from bad form, however, it is just a matter of time before he would try to make a comeback and score hefty runs for his side.
Smith has scored 1887 runs in 35 innings with an average of 65.06, and a highest score of 192 which displays how critical he is for the Australian camp.
2. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli loves playing against the Aussies. As he has made several records, and destroyed the lethal bowling unit of the Australian side multiple times.
He has scored 1979 runs in 42 innings with an average of 48.26 and a highest score of 186 runs. He would be a key player for the Indian team who could score the most runs in the match.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
Chesteshwar Pujara is a strong pillar of the Indian batting lineup. He has stood up for the team in difficult times. He will be an important player to watch out for.
He has scored 2033 runs in 43 innings with an average of 50.82 and a highest score of 204 runs against the Aussies.
He will be a dark horse player, as he has immense abilities to change the course of the match entirely by himself.
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