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Australia will face India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2023 at the Kennington Oval in London starting today.
The Aussies topped the WTC 2021-23 points table, garnering 152 points from 19 matches. There was a close tussle for the second spot, but India eventually confirmed their berth in the summit clash with a 2-1 win over the Aussies in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home earlier this year.
India will be featuring in their second consecutive WTC final, having gone down to New Zealand by eight wickets in Southampton two years ago. For Australia, it is an opportunity to clinch another ICC title and extend their domination in world cricket.
But India have managed to trouble the Aussies in recent times, especially in red-ball cricket. The Men in Blue have won two back-to-back Test series’ Down Under in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Despite their impressive performances against Australia, we look at three reasons why Pat Cummins and Co. are being considered favorites to win the WTC 2023 final.
#1 Australia can exploit Indian batters' weaknesses in swinging conditions
While India’s batters have done well against Australia Down Under over the last two tours, things will be different in England. There is always some swing on offer for pacers in the country and India’s batters have been exposed when there has been movement in the air.
Over the last few years, there have been a number of instances where India’s batters have faltered in conditions where there has been some assistance for the bowlers.
As such Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins could wreak havoc, even though it’s a known fact that the former doesn’t enjoy a great record against India in Tests. Scott Boland could also bring in an X-factor as the third seamer.
The fact that India’s batting isn’t at its strongest could also give Australia’s bowlers the edge in the WTC final.
While Shubman Gill will be high on confidence after a terrific few months, skipper Rohit Sharma has been struggling for runs. Ajinkya Rahane will be under pressure since he is making a comeback, so a lot could hinge on Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.
#2 Absence of Rishabh Pant
The fact that there seems to be no end to the Ishan Kishan vs KS Bharat debate even hours before the start of the WTC final is proof enough of how badly Team India are missing Rishabh Pant in Test matches.
India went with Bharat for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and while he was decent behind the stumps, he failed to make an impact with the willow.
Shifting focus to Kishan, he has tasted some success in white-ball cricket for India, but drafting him into the playing XI for the WTC final, without any prior red-ball experience at the international level, will be a huge risk. Kishan has talent without a doubt, but his temperament is still under the scanner.
It is often said that the real value of something is felt only when it is not around, and India are experiencing the same with Pant. The explosive left-handed batter had a huge role to play in India’s iconic 2-1 series win Down Under in 2020-21.
In a one-off Test, he could have single-handedly won the WTC final for India with one of his dazzling knocks. India, unfortunately, will not have that luxury. Pant’s absence will make life much easier for Australia’s bowlers.
#3 India's woes in big ICC contests
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid may have claimed that the side’s inability to win ICC events will not put additional pressure on them in the WTC final against Australia. But the simple fact cannot be denied that India have choked under pressure on the big occasion over the last few years.
They were favorites to win the 2017 Champions Trophy but came up with a pedestrian batting effort in the final against Pakistan (that match was also played at The Oval).
In the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final, their batting came a cropper against New Zealand in Manchester. During the maiden WTC final in 2021, India succumbed to an eight-wicket loss, again to the Kiwis, in Southampton.
If one observes closely, all three abovementioned instances were registered in England. So India will have to break the pattern to emerge triumphant in the WTC final. Advantage Australia, it seems, for a start at least.
