World Test Championship Final: Everything you need to know

India will play their second straight World Test Championship Final starting from 7th June. The Men in Blues will face the mighty Aussies in the Final and there is not a single doubt about Australia's success in the ICC Finals. Less than three months after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India and Australia are face to face once again. Australia have dominated the format over the past 18 months. They are unbeaten at home across ten matches and have secured a historic series win in Pakistan. New Zealand were victorious last time in the WTC Final against India by a comfortable 8 wickets margin. This is the best chance for team India to clinch an ICC title after waiting for a decade.

Read Also: Sourav Ganguly returns as commentator in the WTC Final 2023

After India's recent Border-Gavaskar trophy victory over Australia on home soil, the WTC Final looks like a fresh challenge for both sides. The Oval will host the final clash of the competition. It is the first time in the history of Test Cricket that Australia and India will have a face-off at a neutral venue.

Injury Crisis:

India has been struggling with some injury blows ahead of the WTC Final. KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer are all unavailable for selection.

On the other side, Australian selectors are considering Hazlewood to be rested for now till the Ashes. He is still not fit to appear in the World Test Championship Final. It opened the door for Scott Boland to feature in the match against India.

World Test Championship Final

Date & venue:

• 7th June, Wednesday – 11th June, Sunday
• The Oval, London

Session Times (IST):

• Morning session: 3:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
• Lunch: 5:00 P.M. - 5:40 P.M.
• Afternoon session: 5:40 P.M. - 7: 40 P.M.
• Tea: 7: 40 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.
• Evening session: 8:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.

World Test Championship Final: Reserve Day

The WTC Final will have a reserve day on Monday, June 12 if required, but only if lost playing time from the scheduled five days could not be made up. The reserve day was needed for the last time in the 2021 final between New Zealand and India after the first and fourth days ended as a washout.

What will happen If the match ended in a Draw?

Australia and India will be crowned joint winners of the World Test Championship if final ends in a draw or a tie.

What ball will be used in the World Test Championship 2021-23 Final:

The ICC has confirmed, Australia and India will use a Dukes ball for the World Test Championship Final.

Squads:

Australian squad:

Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

• Australia will name a condensed 15-player squad later this week

Indian squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk)