What will be India Playing XI at WTC final against Australia?

After a dream IPL 2023 season, cricket fans have been waiting for some time for the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) to commence.

In just a couple of days, last edition's runner-up, India will take on world Test number one side Australia in a one-off World Test Championship finale at the Oval in London. The kind of excitement, predictions, and personal playing XIs among the fans and experts around the 'Ultimate Test' is understandable.

India's 15-member squad is a balanced and power-packed side. However, injured KL Rahul, who looked good in England, was replaced by wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah missing out were some setbacks for India.

Coming to selection of the playing XI, it will be a tricky one because of the abundance of options for Rohit Sharma to choose from.

Openers

• Shubhman Gill looks set to accompany captain Rohit Sharma to start the proceedings. Both of them look to be in great form after their centuries against Australia. Shubhman just had a dream IPL season.

• The inclusion of Ishan into the squad should not alter India's concrete opening pair as he is known to struggle against swinging deliveries.

Middle-order

• Names like Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have been the backbone of the Test team for some time now. Kohli's glorious 186 earlier this year is still fresh, and so is Pujara's gritty innings at Indore, although he hasn't scored big since the Bangladesh tour of 2022.

• Ajinkya Rahane, back after being dropped for more than a year, is expected to take up his old role in the order at number 5. If Ishan gets a chance in the playing XI, it could be somewhere in the middle order as he can keep wickets too.

Wicketkeepers

• In the race to keep wickets, Srikar Bharat is most likely to be ahead of Ishan, who is yet to debut in Test cricket for the ultimate test. Bharat, with a mere 20 average in 4 matches hasn't impressed with his batting so far, but his repeated selection hints at the selector's choice of him being the primary wicketkeeper in Tests. The team will miss Rishabh Pant and his impact with the bat, gloves and funny chirping behind the stumps.

Spin bowling allrounders

• India's favourite spin duo Ashwin and Jadeja came out with excellent performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 22 and 25 wickets each. On the other hand, Axar Patel has promised a firm lower middle order with his recent batting against Australia averaging around 88.

• Choosing one or two among the three won't be an easy job for Rohit, especially when the conditions at Oval are seam friendly. Or will Rohit go with Jadeja who could bat and bowl equally well?

Pace attack

• Picking from pacers Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad  Shami, Jydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur looks easy, but isn't. Shami and Mohammad Siraj, the spearheads of the Indian pace will have to play a big role, given the pace-friendly conditions.

• Umesh could be lethal by getting the ball to reverse on the last two days. Shardul, who swings the ball on green-tops and bats well enough at the end, is also a tempting option. In this case, leaving Unadkat out could leave the attack without variation (of the ball angling into a right-hand batter) by a left-armer.
• The good news is that Shardul and Unadkat, who picked up a few niggles during the IPL, fortunately, have joined the team in England.

So, which players made it to your playing XI?

Our playing XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj and Umesh Yadav.

When and where to watch: June 7- 11, 2023 (03:30 PM IST onwards) On Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, KS Bharat, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadakt, Umesh Yadav.

Reserves: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav