What would be India’s XI for the much-anticipated WTF Final against Australia? (Photo: BCCI / Twitter)
These are questions surrounding India at the moment and while they may have already figured out the answers, they’ve not spoken about it as yet
Where the build-up to the all-important World Test Championship (WTC) final is concerned, the story so far has written itself.
The weather predictions for the coming week in London are bright and sunny, which means cricket will stay undisturbed.
Australia camp: Josh Hazlewood is out with a side strain – although it looks more like they’re saving him for the Ashes – which means Scott Boland and Cameron Green will get into the playing eleven.
India camp: The pitch looks likely to be stripped of all grass over the next 24 hours, which means the possibility of India going with two spinners and three pacers grows further.
That’s how things are shaping up here at the Oval in London where India and Australia are scheduled to face off in the second-ever final. In 2021, Southampton hosted the first-ever final of the WTC between India and New Zealand, and despite getting a good start to the game, India lost the initiative and eventually in a match in what was back then a case of so close and yet so far.
Off the field, it is to Team India’s credit that despite lagging towards the business end of the championship table, they managed to keep their heads above water in the series at home against Australia and managed to stay ahead of Sri Lanka and South Africa to make it here. In 2021 too, the Indian team took the WTC by surprise by winning a historic series in Australia and qualifying for the final in Southampton despite sudden alterations in the points-distribution rule.
That is also probably because looking at the centre pitch actually tells you nothing at the moment with another full day left before the Test begins. While the strip has a definite shade of green when you look at it from a distance, a good 24 hours is good enough to shave off the grass.
A full five days will guarantee eyeballs and that is also what the WTC – as a property that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is looking to build – needs at the moment. The prospect of that happening depends on how good the pitch is to keep batting.
That said, all the pre-match discussion right now is bound to revolve around what kind of a combination India pick the morning day after.
What are the possible choices?
A. Two spinners or one;
B. If one spinner, then who?
C. If two spinners, then who between Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur?
D. KS Bharat or Ishan Kishan?
Going by the last Test India played here, there won’t be a lot of noise around Ravindra Jadeja getting in. But going by the form he’s shown with the bat, one’s bound to push his inclusion.
Between Yadav and Thakur, the noises get louder. Yadav got six wickets the last time India played a Test at The Oval. In the same game, Thakur got two fifties. What will India opt for – A bowler who can bat or a bowler with better pace, and wickets to show, but no assurance with the bat?
Between Ishan and Bharat, the former gives the team the option of a power-hitter. However, with an in-form Shubhman at the top, will India need a power-hitter as much as they’ll need a wicket-keeper with skills in red-ball cricket, a quality that Bharat brings to the table?
These are questions surrounding India at the moment and while they may have already figured out the answers, they’ve not spoken about it as yet. On Monday, India coach Rahul Dravid spoke at length to the media. However, nothing really came out of the conversation as he said a lot without actually saying anything. Therefore, the ambiguity surrounding India’s playing XI continues. The gist of what he said went along the lines of “may the best team win”.