The 2021-23 World Test Championship (WTC) final between Team India and Australia got underway on Wednesday, June 7 at The Kennington Oval in London. Team India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first. As the players of both teams walked out to the field, they were seen wearing black armbands.
The Indian and Australian players will be playing the World Test Championship final wearing black armbands. The gesture is to pay tribute to the lives lost in the Odisha train collision last week. Three trains – two passenger trains and one freight – collided in the state of Odisha last week which left around 260 dead and more than 1,000 injured. The Indian and Australian players also observe a moment of silence for the tragedy in the memory of the victims.
“The team mourns the deaths and offers its deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who tragically lost their lives,” wrote the BCCI in a statement.
Team India goes ahead with four seamers in the WTC final
Team India decided to go ahead with four-seam bowling options in the World Test Championship final, with a green surface and overcast conditions. Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur will be the seam-bowling options. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja is the lone spinner in the Indian XI.
Talking about the decision, Team India skipper Rohit Sharma said,
“Just the conditions and also the weather being overcast. I don’t think the pitch will change too much. You have to play good cricket and come out on top. Four seamers and one spinner. The spinner is Jadeja. It’s always tough (to leave Ashwin), he’s been a match-winner for us over the course of so many years. But you got to do the things that are needed for the team and eventually, we came up with that decision.”
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