With a history of 106 test matches between India and Australia, the following WTC Final will jolt this already staggering rivalry. The two sides battled against each other in the initial quarter of the year with India winning the series by a margin of 2-1. Out of the previous 20 tests between Australia and India, India won 40% of these with Australia winning 6 and the other 6 resulted in a draw.
India might play as the favourites in this WTC Final, but the potent fast-bowling line-up of Kangaroos won’t make things easy for the men in blue while bowling on the green pitch of Kennington Oval. Josh Hazelwood is out of the match due to an injury, but Scott Boland can prove himself a worthy replacement for him. The Indian team is also suffering from a lot of injuries with Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah being the top ones.
Australia can be easily termed as the best side ever to play test cricket with India being the current boss of the oldest format. Can Australia complete their test legacy with a WTC mace or will India win this final in their second consecutive attempt? We will cover this match preview in detail and also provide a Dream 11 team at the end.
Teams Preview
Australia
The rulers of ICC tournaments are all set to claim the ‘World Champions’ title in the longest format of the game. Australia has always had a rich history in test cricket and has a wealth of experience when it comes to playing in high-pressure matches, including numerous Ashes battles against England.
Australia boasts a formidable pace attack that can exploit any conditions. Spearheaded by the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Scot Boland, the Australian fast bowlers have the ability to generate pace, swing the ball, and extract bounce from the surface.
The Australian batting lineup is packed with talented and experienced players who can pile up big scores. The ever-reliant names Steven Smith and David Warner add stability and aggression to their batting order. The likes of Labuschagne, Head, and the promising Cameron Green provide further depth and firepower to the Australian batting unit.
India
After being the best test team for almost a decade, India has come again to play their second WTC Final in the second edition of WTC itself. Last time, they faced a defeat in a rain-affected game against New Zealand in ideal swinging conditions.
Considering England’s pitches have turned 360 degrees since the “BazBall” emergence, Indian Batters will enjoy quite a lot compared to what we saw at the Southhampton in 2021 Final.
With KS Bharat not being great in batting at the international level till this moment, the top 5 along with Ravindra Jadeja have to step in and give their bowlers a formidable chance against Australian batters.
In the bowling department, all the lights will be on Indian pacers but Indian spinners can be dangerous too citing their matchups against Aussie batsmen. With 4 out of 7 being LHB in the opposition, the role of Ashwin will be even more worthy to watch.
Pitch/Venue Report for WTC Final 2023
The Oval, known for its rich cricketing history and a venue that has witnessed numerous iconic battles, provides the perfect stage for this showdown.
With a pitch that promises to be a true test for both bat and ball, the match is expected to offer a riveting contest between both sides.
The pictures are showing a green top, which will highly assist seam and swing bowlers. However, still there will be help for spinners after Day 3 as the pitch will get dry.
- Batting Average in 1st Innings since 2010: 31.87
- Batting Average in 2nd Innings since 2010: 33.28
- Batting Average in 3rd Innings since 2010: 26.44
- Batting Average in 4th Innings since 2010: 28.73
Probable Playing XI
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
India: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat/Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Players to Watch Out For/Must Have Picks
Ravindra Jadeja: India’s Most Valuable Test Cricketer at this moment is no doubt a must-have pick in all fantasy teams. Considering the fact that his batting has improved, he is coming through a tremendous form and his ability to contribute in all the 3 departments will make him the most crucial pick from the Indian side in this game. In the batting he has quite good matchups against all the AUS Bowlers and the same is applicable when his bowling matchups against aus batters are taken into consideration (See Matchups Section).
Pat Cummins: Even though he was unable to shine in the Australia tour of India, Cummins is still the best fast bowler in test cricket in recent times. He has the best average in England (19.62) among all the countries in which he has bowled a delivery. 4 out of 6 Indian Batters struggled against RAF Bowlers and 3 out of 6 averaged less than 25 against him just makes his case even better for this encounter.
Steven Smith: Commonly labelled as the Best Test Batter since Bradman or the Modern Era Bradman, Smith has no competitor in batting in test cricket in the modern era. Also, the fact that he is playing against a team against which he averages 65, that too at a venue in which he averages 97.75 (scores 78 runs per innings) makes him a must-have pick for this game too. There is no bowling type against whom he averages less than 40, and the only bowler he averages less than 40 in this game is Ravindra Jadeja.
Rohit Sharma: The Indian Captain was the highlight of India’s last tour to England, in which he played 8 innings and scored 368 runs which include maybe his most iconic test innings of 129 at the Kennington Oval, the same venue in which this final will be played. Even though he has not had great matchups against Australian Bowlers (check matchups section), he still is the best bet among all the Indian batters for this match.
Key Matchups for WTC Final
- Alex Carey vs Ravichandran Ashwin: 25 Runs, 40 Balls, 5 Dismissals
- Usman Khawaja vs Ravichandran Ashwin: 99 Runs, 283 Balls, 4 Dismissals
- David Warner vs Ravichandran Ashwin: 194 Runs, 428 Balls, 11 Dismissals
- David Warner vs Ravindra Jadeja: 59 Runs, 89 Balls, 4 Dismissals
- David Warner vs Mohammed Siraj: 36 Runs, 70 Balls, 2 Dismissals
- Marnus Labuschagne vs Ravindra Jadeja: 97 Runs, 283 Balls, 5 Dismissals
- Steven Smith vs Ravindra Jadeja: 232 Runs, 674 Balls, 7 Dismissals
- Travis Head vs Mohammad Shami: 81 Runs, 145 Balls, 3 Dismissals
- Shubman Gill vs Nathan Lyon: 72 Runs, 187 Balls, 3 Dismissals
- Shubman Gill vs Pat Cummins: 59 Runs, 130 Balls, 3 Dismissals
- Rohit Sharma vs Nathan Lyon: 207 Runs, 385 Balls, 8 Dismissals
- Cheteshwar Pujara vs Pat Cummins: 172 Runs, 600 Balls, 7 Dismissals
- Virat Kohli vs Pat Cummins: 82 Runs, 247 Balls, 5 Dismissals
- Ajinkya Rahane vs Nathan Lyon: 338 Runs, 736 Balls, 10 Dismissals
AUS vs IND Dream11 Team for WTC Final
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.
To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel Clan For Gamers
Match Predictions/Dream11 Tips:
- Considering the matchups he has, Alex Carey can be dropped for KS Bharat in GL Teams
- Mitchell Starc and Shubman Gill to perform under their standard valuation for this game
