The two finest sides in Test cricket over the past two years, and maybe over the past ten years, are facing off in this championship game, which seems extremely important.
The big picture: Kohli, Pujara, Warner, Starc, Ashwin, and so on?
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Is this the most prestigious cricket match in the world? Or is it a final that ought to be more than a one-off match but isn’t because of calendar restrictions that push Test cricket to the periphery, awkwardly sandwiched between two events that are, in starkly different ways, more significant and tacked onto the conclusion of an ineligible league that isn’t even a proper league in which nearly every team plays fewer Test matches than they did?
Perhaps that is the answer—that it is both. Despite its problems, the World Test Championship final will still be seen by 22 players. For them, it might be a turning point in their careers and bring happiness and sorrow that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Given that it features the two top teams from the previous two years of Test cricket and, possibly, the last ten years, this final seems extra significant.
India dominated Test cricket throughout the 2019–21 cycle, losing just one series against New Zealand before falling to the same team in the final. All their prominent players were at or near their prime during this time. They had to navigate a more difficult path to the last this time, and some legendary players in their ranks lost some of their former invulnerability. However, they are still a fantastic squad that will cherish the opportunity to reverse what New Zealand did to Australia two years ago.
Australia will feel they should have qualified for 2021 final but were left out due to an excessive penalty that put them in third instead of second on the points standings. But now that they’re here, at the top of the league standings, they have the advantage immediately. They are an all-weather team, much like India, although they perform at their best when the speed rather than the spin is well-favoured.
More importantly, they start the game with fewer essential players injured. Australia will miss Josh Hazlewood, while Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, two once-in-a-generation talents, will be absent from India. India’s wealth of skill and its continued dominance is both merits of their system.
The players that populate the two sides of this final could also be making their last flourish. As well as R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami will soon join Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, and David Warner in reaching the age of 33. Except for captains Cummins and Rohit, who will both play their 50th Test on Wednesday, they have all played more than 50 matches.
So, two golden generations are competing for what could be their final chance at a Test world championship. Some dreams are destined to come true, while others are destined to fail.
Form guide
Australia DWLLD (five most recent tests, oldest first)
India DLWWW
Taking the front stage are Cummins and Shami.
Pat Cummins underwent a trying tour to India in February and March, both on and off the pitch. He played in two Tests, taking three wickets at an average of 39.55, but left the trip in the middle to care for his gravely ill mother, who passed away during the fourth Test. Australia rallied from 2-0 down to win the third Test and tie the fourth while he was out, and interim captain Steven Smith received high praises for his tactical prowess.
At The Oval, where he’ll also want to reaffirm his credentials as the world’s best fast bowler, especially with Hazlewood out injured, Cummins’ captaincy might still come under some scrutiny despite Smith’s declaration that he no longer had full-time leadership aspirations and his declaration that this was now “Pat’s team.”
Although Bumrah could dispute Cummins’ claim to be the finest fast bowler in the world, he won’t participate in this championship match. In addition to depriving India of their primary striking weapon, Bumrah’s absence may also throw off the balance of their attack because it will be more difficult for them to choose four fast bowlers, even when the situation calls for it.
Mohammed Shami must thus play to the best of his ability and experience. His record in England needs to be more accurate, with 38 wickets in 13 Tests at a 40.52 average since he usually bowls beautifully there without much luck. India hopes he will find a way not just to beat the bat frequently but also locate its edge at The Oval.
Team news: Kishan or Bharat?
Australia’s starting XI nearly chooses itself now that it has been confirmed that Scott Boland will replace the injured Hazlewood. Travis Head will shift back to No. 5 and allow David Warner, who missed the past two Tests in India with a fractured elbow, to resume playing as opener alongside Usman Khawaja as Peter Handscomb leaves the team following a stellar run as a horses-for-courses middle-order hitter in India. David Warner missed the last two Tests in India due to an injury.
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Scott Boland are the players who are most likely to start.
Due to his experience, he is expected to replace the injured Shreyas Iyer at No. 5 ahead of Suryakumar Yadav. In the home series against Australia, KS Bharat’s superior glovework gave him the edge over Ishan Kishan.
However, in English conditions, where keepers spend much less time up to the stumps negotiating sharp turns and inconsistent bounces, India might be tempted to back Kishan because of his left-handedness and counterattacking abilities. They must decide whether to field four fast bowlers and only one spinner, Ravindra Jadeja or combine him with R Ashwin.
India (possible): Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, (6) Ravindra Jadeja Umesh Yadav/Jaydev Unadkat, 7, KS Bharat/Ishan Kishan, 8, R Ashwin, 9, Mohammed Shami, 10, and Mohammed Siraj.
Pitch and weather
At The Oval, spin frequently plays a vital role. The Oval has hosted 10 Test matches since the beginning of 2012, during which time fast bowlers have averaged 30.57, and spinners have averaged 34.83. The Oval has the lowest fast bowlers’ aggregate average among English venues that have held at least five Tests during this time, but the Ageas Bowl and Headingley are the only venues where spinners have performed better (31.27 and 32.43).
The Oval Tests often occur in August and September, when the weather is warm and dry, and the fields have seen considerable wear and tear throughout the lengthy English summer, which may account for these statistics. A Test match has never before been played at this location in June.
Oval pitches often have a lot of bounce, which may excite bowlers on either side—fast and slow—and let batters play their strokes, provided there isn’t a lot of sideways movement.
The test match will begin with clear skies and brilliant sunshine, with highs in the low 20s Celsius. The scheduled fourth, fifth, and reserve days, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday may experience rain.
Stats and trivia
- India has defeated Australia in their last four Test series, two at home and two away, all by scores of 2-1.
- India (0.400) and Australia (0.411) have nearly equal win-loss statistics at The Oval. In their 38 tests here, Australia has won seven and lost seventeen, while India has won two and lost five.
- To become the fifth Indian batsman to reach 2000 Test runs against Australia, Virat Kohli has to knock 21 more runs. The other players who have done so are Sachin Tendulkar (3630), VVS Laxman (2434), Rahul Dravid (2143), and Cheteshwar Pujara (2033).
- Steven Smith has scored 391 runs at an average of 97.75 in three Test matches at The Oval, including two hundred and an 80 in five innings.
Quotes
“This serves as somewhat of a bookend for the past few years before the Ashes series seems like a fresh start. The first final was a bit of an alien notion, and it wasn’t until we didn’t make it that we realised it would be wonderful to participate. Since then, it has received more attention, and I’m excited to be here.
According to Pat Cummins, during the WTC’s two cycles, the players’ understanding of the tournament and desire to compete in a final have developed.
“No, I don’t think he needs any coaching, given how he is now hitting. The only thing that matters is his preparation, namely how he has been preparing over the past five or six days after returning from the IPL. Gill enjoys batting and putting in a lot of time in the middle. Even though it was in T20 format, you saw him get massive hundreds [in the IPL]. He enjoys taking on the task while standing in the midst.
That is what he prefers, and I hope he performs that way in the WTC final. Team India will also hope that he plays well, as he has been doing over the past six to eight months, and spends much time in the middle. So there isn’t much to tell him. Giving him that confidence is all that is necessary since he is a very confident player.
Asking Rohit Sharma whether he has any advice for Shubman Gill, his opening partner.
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