Predicting India’s XI for WTC 2023 final against Australia
India will be playing their second consecutive WTC final.
The BCCI on Tuesday (April 25) announced team India’s 15-member squad for the final of the World Test Championship 2023. The Men in Blue, who finished at second position in the points table, will face Australia, the table toppers. The much-anticipated game will kick-off on June 7th at the Oval Ground in England.
Speaking of the Indian squad, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah missed out due to injuries. Ajinkya Rahane, on the other hand, earned a recall from selectors after showing great form in domestic circuit and ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). Suryakumar Yadav dropped after failing in his debut Test match.
It will be a golden chance for Rohit Sharma-led India to lift the ICC trophy. Notably, they failed to do so under Virat Kohli’s leadership as they were beaten by New Zealand in the final of the inaugural season. In this article, we will take a look at the strongest starting XI that India can field to take on the mighty Kangaroos.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill
Captain Rohit Sharma will be in charge of opening duties for his side. He has become a key performer for the Test side over the past few years. Fair to say that he has rejuvenated his Test career after taking up the opening slot. In the WTC 2021-23 cycle, he smashed 700 runs in 17 innings including two fifties and two hundreds.
Once again, the right-handed batter will be responsible for providing solid starts to his team. Shubman Gill, on the other hand, has been impressive ever since his international debut. In a short time, he has managed to solidify his position and is likely to pair up with Rohit for the opening duo.
Gill made his Test debut in 2020 and ever since, he has smashed 890 runs in just 15 games, averaging 34.20. In the process, he also hit two centuries and four half-centuries. His recent red-hot form will be a big positive for Rohit Sharma & Co. ahead of the big clash in June.
