Team India will take on Australia in the World Test Championship 2023 final from June 7 at The Oval ground in London. This is India's second successive final as they had lost to New Zealand in 2021. This year they will aim to go one step further and win the championship. The good news, from India's perspective, is that may key players are in good form. Shubman Gill finished as the Orange Cap winner in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League while Mohammed Shami was the Purple Cap winner. Virat Kohli is in great form too while Ravindra Jadeja had a terrific IPL season with both bat and ball.
Also Read | WTC Final: Indian Pace Bowling Attack A Mystery For Australia, Says Assistant Coach Daniel Vettori
However, despite some players in top gear, the key to success will be picking the right playing XI after considering the conditions. Here are three big questions ahead of Rahul Dravid and Rohit ahead of the all-important WTC final.
Energy levels high __
Upping the intensity with each session ahead of #WTC23 _#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/q6IAORAkIz
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 2, 2023
KS Bharat or Ishan Kishan as wicketkeeper?
KS Bharat replaced Rishabh Pant in the Test playing 11 of Team India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy this year. He did a fairly good job with gloves but as a batter, he was not up to the mark. Ishan Kishan is the other wicketkeeper and batter in the squad and a better batter than Bharat. But Kishan has no Test match experience and playing him directly in the playing 11 could be a big risk. Also, in the conditions at The Oval which will make the ball swing big, keeping skills will be tested and Bharat may get the nod, knowing this.
Who will be the third pacer?
Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are surely going to be the new ball bowlers for India in the final. The question is who will be the third pacer for India. It will be a toss-up between Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav for the third pacer's slot. Unadkat bring the left-arm variation while Umesh is faster and skiddy. Umesh also is more experienced than Unadkat. It will be fascinating to see how gets the nod for the big clash.
Pace bowling or spin-bowling all-rounder
Another question that needs answering is whether they will play with two spinners or not. Ravindra Jadeja, the left-arm orthodox spinner, looks like a certain pick while it will be interesting to see which of the two all-rounders - R Ashwin or Shardul Thakur - get the place in the XI. Ashwin has wealth of experience and Thakur is a pacer. It will all depend on how the weather plays in the five days of the Test match.
