WTC final: 5 Indians to watch out for

Team India will take on Australia in the World Test Championship final, which is slated to begin on June 7 at the Oval. With the hope of ending their 10-year wait for an ICC trophy, the Rohit Sharma-led side has already reached London in order to get adjusted to the conditions and prepare well to win the prestigious cup.

In the last edition of the tournament, India lost to New Zealand in the finals and since then, a lot has changed. This time, three of India’s key players in the form of Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer will be missing the final and that’s a massive blow for the side. In their absence, who can take centre stage? Let’s dissect –

5. Rohit Sharma

The skipper will have to lead by example in the finals. He has a good record in red-ball cricket in England and that will boost his confidence but his form at the moment is a bit of a concern. Other than that, he will have the tough responsibility of taking hard calls on the ground. He will have to rotate his bowlers well and it will be interesting to see if the cricketer backs both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin or only one of them.

4. Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj has risen through the ranks to become a force to reckon with in all three formats. However, his records in English conditions is not good enough. On the contrary, he has always delivered against Australia. Thus, his battle with the Aussie batters will definitely be a feisty one.

3. Cheteshwar Pujara

Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara is in remarkable form at the moment. Playing for Sussex in the County Championship Division II, Pujara has scored 545 runs in six matches and thus, his form will be very valuable for the Indian team in the finals. He also has a decent record against the Pat Cummins-led side, having played a crucial role in India’s last two triumphs over the Kangaroos in their den.

2. Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami has picked 28 wickets in the recently concluded IPL 2023 and even though red-ball cricket is very different from T20s, the pacer will have the confidence of doing well in the finals. Notably, he has played 13 Test matches in England, picking up 38 wickets.

1. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli will definitely be India’s player to watch out for in the finals. Even though he has struggled in England in the past, his records against Australia are very good and that will give the cricketer much-needed confidence. Notably, he is in great form at the moment as well after scoring over 600 runs in the IPL for his team RCB, including two consecutive tons.