The Indian test team has been at the peak of its prowess in the last 6 months. India won an away series against Australia for the 2nd consecutive time in December. The Indian team battled injuries throughout the series.
The entire theme of the 2020/21 Border Gavaskar trophy was Australia getting the upper hand and India managing to fight back every single time. After that India won the home series against England to book their place in the world test Championship final against New Zealand.
The Indian side travelling to England for the final and the Test series against England that will follow is at Full strength. This period of injury to many players has given youngsters a chance to prove themselves and that's exactly what I have done. Players like Akshar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan, Shubhman Gill meet the most used out of the opportunities that they have got.
You to all these youngsters coming in and doing a fantastic job with the team gives Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri a selection headache. This Indian side has a lot of depth which means that if one player gets injured there is enough cover with the squad.
Here is the ideal lineup for the World Test Championship final that India is very likely to go for:
Shubhman Gill -
It's hard to believe that Shubhman Gill did not make his test debut until December last year. Gill showed no signs of his inexperience in Australia where he made his debut in the 2nd test. Gill scored 259 runs in his 6 innings in Australia. Shubhman Gill opened with Rohit Sharma in all 4 matches against England while Mayank Agarwal sat on the bench. Gill's prominent performance in Australia gives him an edge over Mayank.
Rohit Sharma -
Rohit Sharma is undoubtedly one of the best white-ball cricketers in the world. The same cannot be said about Test Cricket. Rohit has just about made himself a Test Regular in the past year or so. Starting to open in the longest format has worked in his favour. Despite his low average in overseas conditions, Sharma will pretty much be one of the first names in the playing 11.
Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane -
There is pretty much no explanation needed for any of them. These three have been the pillar of the Test side for 7 plus years now. At least one of them has to play big innings for India to win the championship.
Rishabh Pant -
His performances against England and Australia makes him the standout Wicket keeper. Pant's improvement with the bat gives India an option to play an All-rounder at 7 rather than a pure batsman.
Ravindra Jadeja -
2 years ago this pick would have been unpopular but Jadeja has improved his batting to another level. His batting makes him a very practical pick. Jadeja's all-around brilliance allows India to play 5 full-time bowlers.
Ravichandran Ashwin -
It would be tough to drop Ashwin from the Test team for the next two years. Although his batting overseas has been sub-par his off-spin alone makes him a must in the playing XI.
Mohammed Shami -
Mohammed Shami hasn't played international cricket since his injury in the 1st test against Australia. Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur have done particularly well in his absence. But his aggressiveness will come in very handy especially in English conditions.
Jasprit Bumrah -
It's tough to imagine Jasprit Bumrah not playing a Test match in the near future. He will be Virat Kohli's go-to strike bowler in English conditions.
Ishant Sharma -
Ishant Sharma with all that experience is very crucial for this Indian side. 100 test matches and over 300 wickets is a rare achievement for an Indian fast bowler. Ishant has an excellent record in England and Indian fans will be hoping that he can carry on with that.
Players who miss out -
Mayank Agarwal, K.S Bharat, Wriddhiman Saha, Axar Patel, K.L Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, Hanuma Vihari, Umesh Yadav.
