WTC Final: Countdown begins as India brace for Australian threat in nets; Kishan or Bharat decision pending
The World Test Championship (WTC) Final between India and Australia will take place at The Oval, starting Wednesday, and all eyes will be on who will make it to the Playing XI for the big-ticket clash.
FollowThe countdown for the mouth-watering World Test Championship (WTC) Final between India and Australia has begun, and ahead of the clash at The Oval, Rohit Sharma and Co. are bracing themselves to face the likes of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc as they train hard in the nets. Even as the Indians gear up for the challenge, the team is yet to choose between Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat as their wicket-keeper.
On Monday, Australia made use of the cloudy conditions at The Oval to prepare for the WTC Final, while the Indian team arrived for an afternoon session. Despite the fact that it was voluntary, most of the participants showed up, with the exception of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and backup Suryakumar Yadav.
The two and a half hour practice was tightly monitored by captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, and throw downs were only taken after all of the key batsmen had received a long hit in the nets.
The Indians primarily played left-arm pace, despite the fact that seam bowlers Scott Boland and Pat Cummins can cause a lot of damage. Left-arm bowlers Jaydev Undakat, Aniket Choudhary, a net bowler and a local pacer offered the batters a lot of practice.
The first players to get a hit were Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shubman Gill, and Mohammed Shami. Shami took his batting very seriously by playing for more than 30 minutes.
Prior to going to the opposite net to face Shami and Unadkat, Virat Kohli took a few swings at few balls against spinners. He then practised vital catching skills with Rahane and Gill in the slips.
One of the net bowlers traveling with the side, Delhi offie Pulkit Narang, bowled a lengthy stint with Indian batters using him to face the Nathan Lyon challenge.
India had two days before the game to choose between two spinners and a fourth option for pace, but they were unable to do so. Ashwin merely came out to bat, while Ravindra Jadeja had a bowl.
They also have a difficult decision to make about wicket-keeping. Before going to the batting nets, Bharat and Kishan both practised their wicket-keeping techniques.
The experts are split on their preference, with many supporting Kishan because to his superior batting skills. Bharat is being promoted as a better choice for wicket-keeping. To make a decision regarding the starting eleven, one must wait until after the last practise on Tuesday.
Both sides are expected to make the most of the final day at nets before they take centre-stage for the grand event, starting on Wednesday.
