India’s likely starting lineup for the WTC Final: The World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and Team India will take place at the Oval starting on Wednesday, June 7.
The Australian team appears to be more or less stable, while Team India needs to solve some issues because of the injuries to key players like Rishab Pant, Jaspreet Bumrah, and KL Rahul.
Many people think that these absences could hurt their chances before the final. However, Rohit Sharma and the company would still want to present their best case, and the first step in doing so is to define each player’s specific function.
Rohit Sharma (c) and Shubman Gill as the openers
Rohit Sharma has been nothing short of fantastic as a test opener, despite his inconsistent performance throughout the IPL 2023 season. Rohity was instrumental in England in 2021, scoring 368 runs in four tests, including his first-ever away-from-home test hundred at the Oval.
Given that several prominent players are missing from the batting lineup for India, their captain will need to be at the top of his game in the WTC final.
Shubman Gill has excelled in all formats over the past 12 months, but his biggest test will come when he faces an elite Australian bowling attack in challenging circumstances. Gill did score a hundred in his previous test against the same attack, and even though the circumstances will be different, he will be motivated to perform well on the big stage.
Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, and KS Bharat (wk) make up the middle order
Ajinkya Rahane is ready to play in the middle order alongside the seasoned Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara following a respectable domestic season and despite injuries to Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. The trio has been India’s main source of batting success in tests over the previous ten years, and they must perform well if their team is to win the WTC final.
In his most recent test in England, Ravindra Jadeja reached the century mark and is in excellent form with both bat and ball. Jadeja is likely to be chosen over Ravichandran Aswin since India has lately tended to field just one spinner in international tests.
In Rishabh Pant’s absence, KS Bharat will likely continue to retain wickets.
Bowlers: Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Over the past few years, Shardul Thakur has been the seam bowling all-rounder used by the Indian team management in international tests. He frequently provides key runs and wickets. Jadev Unadkat might not get the nod in this situation since Umesh Yadav can swing the ball and utilize the long handle.
Mohammed Shami and Mohammad Siraj are the two bowlers whose inclusion in the XI is all but guaranteed. The onus will be on Shami and Siraj to open up the game for their squad because Bumrah is out.
In order for India to achieve their goal of 20 wickets, Shami and Siraj would likely have to put in the most effort.
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