The World Test Championship (WTC) Final will be held at London’s famed Oval on June 7; this time, India and Australia will be vying for the championship after two years and 69 games. India finished second in the first final the previous year and will be looking to improve on that result to further establish their position as one of the major forces in international test cricket. But Australia is always a power to be feared; the Baggy Greens thrashed the West Indies on the islands last winter and destroyed old rivals England in the 21–22 Ashes series, winning 4-0.
Earlier this year, India and Australia competed for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy; the hosts prevailed, winning two of the four matches. However, Australia returned to the series with a resounding victory in Indore, which is often a very difficult site for visiting teams. Given that the final test is being played on neutral ground and that the final test ended in a draw, we should expect a few intensely competitive days of cricket. See how India stacks up against the Australians.
India vs Australia: Pitch Report at the Oval
The pitch of the Kennington Oval is well-known for being dependable and consistent. It encourages fair competition between bowlers and batters, and both participants and spectators appreciate it for this reason. Strong bounce on the playing surface frequently allows spinners to get a hold of the ball and quick bowlers to produce movement. Scoring runs is difficult because of its occasionally lethargic nature. The surface often deteriorates throughout the match, suiting the pacers more.
India vs Australia: Head-to-Head Record in Tests
Australia and India have played each other in 106 Test matches. India has triumphed in 32 of the 106 games in this series, while Australia has won 44 of them. 30 games have ended in a draw.
Possible Playing XI for India in WTC Final
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami,
Possible Playing XI for Australia in WTC Final
Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (Wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (C), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Here are the full squads for both sides:
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
Australia: Pat Cummins (C), Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc