The final of the 2021-2023 cycle of the World Test Championship is set and it will be India vs Australia at The Oval on 7th June 2023. This will be the second back to back World Test Championship Final for India after the one they lost vs New Zealand in 2021. And it is the first Word Test Championship Final for Australia and this makes them only the second team to make the final of all ICC events.
Now that the final is set and it will take place at The Oval which is in England meaning there will be seam and swing for the Bowlers and help for the fast bowlers so it will be totally different conditions as compared to both India and Australia which is good news as it will be a neutral venue.
So ,let’s look at all the facets of the game and analyze which team has the advantage:
Batting
The batting for both of these teams are good and both India and Australia have some of the best batters in the world who could win the test match on their own. For India there will be Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill at the top of the order vs Usman Khawaja and Travis Head for Australia. Then at number 3 and 4 it will be Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli for India vs Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith for Australia. It is difficult to compare these batting units but the slight edge goes to India because their batters have done very well in England in the recent past so they would know how to bat in those pitches.
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All Rounders
This is one of the most important aspects of the game and both the teams have great all Rounders in their ranks. For India there are the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who are two of the best in the world and they can utilize any conditions with the bat and with the ball as well. Then for Australia there is Cameron Green who is a fast bowling all rounder and Marnus Labuschagne who is a spin bowling all rounder. So in the all rounders the clear advantage goes to India as they have the superior all rounders.
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Fast Bowlers
These are the most important people in the team come the final because in England it will help them the most. For India there will be Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj and Umesh Yadav as the front line fast bowlers and there is no update about Jasprit Bumrah as to whether he will be fit or not. And for Australia there will be Pat Cummins the captain and Mitchell Starc as well as Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland so in the fast bowling department the slight advantage goes to Australia.
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Spinners
The spinners may not get as much turn in England as they did in India but they will still be very important to their sides in the final in June. For India there will be 2 of the best in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who will offer two different variations and then from Australia there will be Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy who has impressed everyone but still even with all the quality the advantage goes to India because both Ashwin and Jadeja have done very well in England.
