WTC Final: Virat Kohli to Pat Cummins: Five Players to Watch Out For in 2023’s IND vs. AUS
The wait is finally over as India and Australia, two Test cricket giants, will square off in the next five days. The highly anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final, which begins on Wednesday at the Oval, pits the two sides against one another. The Australians have had a fantastic run over the last two years, winning five of the last six Test series to finish first in the second WTC cycle. India, on the other hand, had a trip that resembled a roller coaster; their most recent victory came against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year.
However, the last game, which will be played in London, is all that remains. Whichever team performs better and adjusts to the environment more quickly wins the test. Let’s take a closer look at the players to watch out for in the WTC Final 2023 before we go on to the decisive match.
Shubman Gill: It goes without saying that Gill will start India’s batting with captain Rohit Sharma given his recent hot-hand performance. He had an IPL Orange on his head and scored a great hundred while batting against Australia in the Ahmedabad Test before entering the match. The 23-year-old has received praise from not just the coach but also the captain and vice-captain, and the supporters will be anxious to see him bat with conviction against the Australians.
Virat Kohli: The King has had a fantastic start to this year and is back to his original self. Like Gill, he had a fantastic IPL season, but more significantly, he struck his maiden century in the March Test against Australia in Ahmedabad, halting the three-year streak of Test cricket hundreds. Australia and Kohli are a match made in heaven. When he easily knocks the Australian speed three out of the park, the Oval crowd will roar in approval.
Mohammad Shami: Shami has every right to have a great day if England is a haven for speedsters. More than five years have passed since he became the primary pacer for the Indian cricket squad. Since India’s maiden Test series victory in Australia, Shami has enjoyed tremendous success against that nation. This time, he was also in charge of directing the Indian speed assault in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence. The Australians are already discussing Shami’s seam placement since it will be a problem for them on a fast Oval track.
Pat Cummins: Since being selected as the Test captain, the Australian captain has been juggling two roles. In challenging circumstances, he has done an excellent job of directing the squad and the speed assault. He had to quit the India tour halfway because of personal obligations, but he is again back in the decisive conflict to get revenge on Rohit Sharma and company. Cummins is Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker with 53 wickets, behind only Nathan Lyon, who leads the team with 83 takeaways in 19 games.
Usman Khawaja: The Australia opener is perhaps one of the less-discussed cricketers in the WTC final, but it is impossible to ignore his performance over the previous two years. Khawaja is the WTC 2021–23 team’s leading run-getter with 1608 runs in 16 games. In terms of total runs scored, he is second only behind Joe Root (1915 runs in 22 matches) on the list. Khawaja had a fantastic tour of the region and amassed many cricket runs while visiting Pakistan and India. The squad will want him to demonstrate his genius one final time and aid the team in capturing the mace.
