Australia and India will lock horns against each other in the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023, starting on Wednesday, June 7, at the Kennington Oval in London. Australia made it into the WTC Final 2021-23 cycle after emerging as the table-toppers. They played 19 matches in the cycle and won 11 of them with a 66.67 percent score. India, on the other hand, did not reach comfortably. It went to a point where they had to win their last series against Australia and then wait for the series result between New Zealand and Sri Lanka to make it to the final. Read the full match preview, pitch report & every detail about the match with Dream XI team prediction in our fantasy sports segment.
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WTC Final 2023
Match Details
- Match: World Test Championship Final 2023 - Australia vs India
- Date: 7th June 2023 - 11th June 2023
- 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.
- Venue: Kennington Oval, London
- Where to Watch: Star Sports Network, DD Sports & Disney+ Hotstar
Venue Details | Pitch Report
The historic Oval ground has hosted 104 matches so far. The team batting first has won 38 matches while the fielding first team has won 29 games. In the last decade, teams have opted to field first in five out of nine matches played, winning two and losing three. The Oval has generally been a good surface to score in the last 10 years. It has the third-highest runs per over – 3.39 among seven grounds including Lord's, Old Trafford, Headingley, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston, and Rose Bowl.
However, there is something for the bowlers as well. A wicket falls every 54 balls or after 30 runs here. In the first two innings, teams rely on pace bowlers to pick wickets and restrict the run-scoring – 27.51 average, 3.19 economy, and 51.45 strike rate. Spinners generally come into play in the next two innings. Overall, the ground has the best strike rate for spinners – 58.8, second best average of 32.31, and third best economy of 3.29 among the seven grounds in the last decade.
- India has played 14 Test matches at this venue so far. They have won two, lost three, and drawn seven of them. The last time India played at The Oval, they won by 157 runs against England in 2021.
- Australia has played 34 matches at this venue so far. They have won seven, lost 17, and drawn 14 of them. The last time Australia played at The Oval, they lost by 137 runs against England in 2019.
WTC Final 2023 | Match Officials
Chris Gaffaney of New Zealand and Richard Illingworth of England will be the two on-field umpires for the match. They will be assisted by Richard Kettleborough of England, who has been appointed as the TV umpire. Kumar Dharmasena of Sri Lanka will serve as the fourth umpire, and the match official will be West Indian Richie Richardson.
Australia vs India | Head to Head
India and Australia have played 106 Test matches against each other so far. While Australia have an edge with 44 wins, India have emerged victorious in 32 Tests. A total of 29 matches were drawn while one was tied between the two teams.
However, when it comes to the Test series, both have played 28 series so far, from the start of the 1947/48 season until the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the 2022-23 season. While Australia won 12 of them, India managed to win 11. Five series ended in a draw.
- Matches Played: 106
- Australia won: 44
- India won: 32
- Drawn: 29
- Tied: 1
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WTC Final 2023
Australia vs India | Team News
Australia:
Pat Cummins will serve as the team captain for Australia's WTC winners. Australia already confirmed that Scott Boland will take the injured Hazlewood's place. Peter Handscomb dropped out of the squad after excellent performances as a middle-order batter in India. Travis Head will return to No. 5 and allow David Warner, who missed the last two Tests in India with a fractured elbow, to return as opener alongside Usman Khawaja. Starc, Boland, Green & Cummins will manage the pace attack while Lyon would like to show his magic with the spin at Oval.
ON SALE NOW! Tickets to a massive summer of international cricket are officially up for grabs 🎟️
Don't wait, get yours now!— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) June 6, 2023
India:
Rohit Sharma will lead India in the World Cup final matchup against Australia. Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah won't be available for the Indian team due to their individual injuries. Ajinkya Rahane is set to return to Test cricket for the first time since January 2022. His experience is likely to get him the edge over Suryakumar Yadav at No. 5.
KS Bharat's superior glovework gave him the chance over Ishan Kishan during the home series against Australia. In English conditions where keepers spend far less time up to the stumps negotiating sharp turns and inconsistent bounce, India could be tempted to back Kishan's counterattacking skills and left-handedness. The biggest question they face, though, is whether to play four fast bowlers and just one spinner in Ravindra Jadeja or pair him with R Ashwin.
The Captains 👍
The Championship Mace 👌
The Big Battle 💪
All In Readiness for the #WTC23#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/Ep10vb2aj5— BCCI (@BCCI) June 6, 2023
WTC Final 2023
Australia vs India | Possible Lineups
Australia:
- David Warner
- Usman Khawaja
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steven Smith
- Travis Head
- Cameron Green
- Alex Carey (wk)
- Pat Cummins (capt)
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
- Scott Boland
Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
Standby players: Mitch Marsh, Matthew Renshaw
India:
- Rohit Sharma (capt)
- Shubman Gill
- Cheteshwar Pujara
- Virat Kohli
- Ajinkya Rahane
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- R Ashwin
- Umesh Yadav
- Mohammed Shami
- Mohammed Siraj