India take on Australia in the WTC Final at the Oval in their quest for the Mace

After a prolonged hiatus, international cricket finally returns as India take on Australia in the summit clash of the WTC 2021-2023 cycle, with the two star-studded squads battling it out for the Mace. The Oval will be playing host to this fascinating encounter and it would determine the fate of the World Test Championship as the clash would be played from June 7th to June 11th with 12th being the reserve day.

India will be coming to this fixture on the back of a series win against Australia where the latter was humbled by the barest of margins in India’s den, thanks to a spirited display from the Indians under the pump. The final Test petered out to a draw after both the sides dished out impeccable displays with the bat.

Australia’s last Test series was against India and Pat Cummins’ men would be hoping to avenge their earlier defeat at the hands of the mighty Indians back in the latter’s den. They will be without Josh Hazlewood’s services owing to an injury, and he has been replaced by Michael Neser after he failed to recover from the Achilles injury.

This will be a battle of humongous proportions considering the fact that the two top teams in Test ranking will be squaring off. The surface that has been prepared for the WTC finale seems to be a lush green one, insinuating a paradise for the fast bowlers.

Venue Watch:

The Oval has proven to be a conducive track for the bowlers and the fast bowlers in particular can be the game-changers. The average first innings score in Oval is 343 while the average second innings score reads 304. However, the third and the fourth innings change drastically as the numbers slump down to 238 and 156 respectively. The team batting first would have a slight edge considering the kind of pitch breakdown that happens on the third, fourth and the fifth day.

Match Details:

Match: Australia vs India, WTC 2021 – 23, Final

Location: Kensington Oval, London

Date: 7th to 11th June, 2023

Time: 3:00 PM

Head-to-Head:

Matches played: 104

Australia: 44

India: 32

Squads:

Australia:

Pat Cummins (C), Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser.

India:

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Srikar Bharat, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat