Before the WTC 2023 Final, Matthew Hayden claims that “The Oval Doesn’t Necessarily Favor One Particular Team”

Australian batting legend Matthew Hayden thought that the World Test Championship 2023 Final being played at the Oval rather than the Lords made the match between India and Australia, two of the top cricketing countries in the world, a fairly even contest.

“The Test Championship gives Test cricket meaning and significance. And you have India and Australia, two of the best cricketing countries, competing against one another. Being at The Oval gives it a fair chance to be a neutral environment that doesn’t necessarily support one team over another, according to the unconventional left-hander.

It is historically one of England’s bouncy, more level surfaces. It’s a very neutral setting since it doesn’t particularly favor seamers or spinners. It’s great to see them perform there; if it had been at the Lord’s, Australia would have had a significant edge,” he said.

Hyden also believed that, despite the country’s seeming wealth of skill, India’s failures at ICC competitions were the result of mindset rather than talent.

“There is no doubt that it is not a talent issue. Therefore, it must be a matter of the opportunity and the initial perspective. Hayden said, “I mean, cricket is life here. It is the sport’s DNA and has no rivals.

“In Australia, I could mostly go unnoticed as I walked down the street, particularly with this hideous beard and hat on. But in addition to cricket, it has some fantastic competitive sports. There is a lot of push in India for sports like rugby, football, water sports like surfing, and outdoor activities, he said.

The same applies to Pakistani cricket. There is just one sport, and that is cricket, therefore it has to do with thinking.

“When you look at franchise setups, Gujarat Titans have done pretty well this year and CSK have done really well. However, you should be wary about going for the scoreboard and searching for the championships and instead simply play and be a part of the process. Indians from Mumbai also adhere to a certain method.

The powerful opener offered this counsel to Indian cricket: “Forget the results, but buy into the process.”

Hayden also discussed the lack of a Test match between the two teams prior to the summit match, but he noted that it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing that the teams will play in the longest format of the game immediately after an action-packed month of T20 league cricket.

“Don’t focus too heavily on either nation’s preparedness. I don’t think playing in the IPL has a significant edge over playing county cricket, he remarked.

“The degree of elite performance at the IPL level is so severe. Consider Cameron Green as an example. He has had a stellar season with the Mumbai Indians.

 

“It doesn’t matter whether he plays here, in county cricket, or somewhere else; it’s a no-brainer. He has been exposed to the top level of sport, and I believe that the players who have participated in the IPL may have a minor edge.

“The mix of playing high-performance cricket at IPL now going to match specific venue training, is excellent preparation,” said Hayden.

Ishan Kishan should replace KS Bharath as the wicketkeeper-batsman, according to Hayden, who said that the absence of the free-striker Rishabh Pant was a major loss for India.

“Rishabh Pant is now one of Indian cricket’s major losses. Ishan Kishan, a more dynamic wicketkeeper batter, gives a certain amount of swagger to both the batting lineup and the fielding unit if I were an Indian selection.

 

Prior to the final match, which is scheduled to begin on June 7, Hayden discussed the team lineups.

As the game goes on at The Oval, the spinners may become important, which is why Hayden insisted that India must play both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

“Two spinners are what India uses effectively. With the exception of the amazing turners we saw during the Border-Gavaskar trophy in India, it doesn’t work for Australia.

“I am aware that the Australian team would always prefer to have three quicks. Naturally, Cameron Green can play as an all-rounder, and Nathan Lyon is our spinner. That is how significant Cameron Green is, in my opinion. He plays a very strong and crucial role as an all-around player. So having him in shape is fantastic,” he remarked.

The 51-year-old expressed his admiration for Orange Cap winner Shubman Gill of the IPL 2023 and promised that the audience will soon be treated to many more magnificent innings.

For the following 15 years, Shubman Gill will be prominently featured. A strong Test cricketer is built on rather straightforward principles. Additionally, Shubman, like KL Rahul before him, plays well overall. He will thus be a superstar in any format of cricket for a very long time, according to Hayden.

 

“One of Shubman’s major advantages is that he’s excellent from the backfoot, as he demonstrated while he was touring Australia.

“So the square of the wicket play is superb. And that’ll put him in good stead even when facing the world’s finest Test teams, Hayden said.