Team India will aim to break their decade-long ICC trophy jinx when they square off a formidable Australian unit in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at The Oval staring on Wednesday.
The second World Test Championship final, which will begin on Wednesday at the Kennington Oval in London, will feature a formidable Indian unit, eyeing to end ICC title drought, and a rejuvenated Australian side.
Australia is participating in the summit match for the first time, whereas India ended as runners-up in the previous clash, losing to New Zealand. It's worth noting that the last battle between the two Test giants at The Oval in 2019 saw India bag a victory.
India is preparing to enter the unknown as The Oval prepares to host its maiden Test in its 143-year history in June, and they must make a few crucial selection decisions that could determine the outcome of the ultimate Test match.
India's predicted playing XI
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin/Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat/Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Australia's predicted playing XI
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
IND vs AUS WTC final Dream 11 prediction
Wicketkeepers: Alex Carey
Batters: Steve Smith (c), Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Travis Head
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Cameron Green
Bowlers: Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami (vc), Pat Cummins
Team Composition: IND 6:5 AUS Credits Left: 8.5
The Oval pitch conditions
The Oval has historically been a favourable scoring surface. Among seven facilities, including Lord's, Old Trafford, Headingley, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston, and Rose Bowl, it has the third-highest runs per over (3.39).
However, there is also something available for bowlers. Here, a wicket is lost after 30 runs or every 54 balls. Teams rely on pace bowlers to knock off batsmen and limit run scoring in the first two innings (27.51 average, 3.19 economy, and 51.45 strike rate).
At this location, India has played 14 Test matches, winning two, losing three, and drawing seven. India defeated England by 157 runs in its most recent game at The Oval in 2021.
At this location, Australia has played 34 games, winning seven, losing 17, and drawing 14. It lost to England by 137 runs in its most recent game at The Oval in 2019.
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat(w), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat.
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Marcus Harris.
