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India have announced their playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, starting Friday (June 18) at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. As expected, India have gone in with a five-pronged bowling attack, consisting of three quicks and two spinners, but pacer Mohammed Siraj misses out.
Both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will be playing, which gives India added depth in the batting department. In the pace attack, the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah will have the responsibility of tormenting the New Zealand batsmen.
Twitter reacts to India's playing XI for WTC final
Fans on Twitter are highly excited and are looking forward to the marquee event. India have shown their cards early and are banking on their strongest XI despite the conditions not quite suited to the idea of playing two spinners. Here is how the fans reacted to India's playing XI:
India's incredible Test series win Down Under was enough to convince the management that the five-bowler theory gave them enough depth in both the batting and bowling departments. But this will ironically be the first time that Ashwin, Jadeja, Ishant, Shami and Bumrah will be playing a Test together.
In similar conditions, a full-strength Indian team was beaten by New Zealand at home and that is something that would give Kane Williamson and his men immense confidence. But India will be wary of their opponents this time and will be keen to put their best foot forward.
A strong top six with Virat Kohli as the fulcrum will also be crucial as runs on the board will be an important factor in India gaining an upper hand over New Zealand. The form of Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and the X-factor of Rishabh Pant will have the fans thrilled.
New Zealand haven't announced their playing XI yet, but India have made their intentions clear that they are up and ready for the challenge.
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