Indian Players got hit on bouncy Oval Pitch Ahead of IND vs AUS WTC Final: The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2023 is just a night away and the anticipation for the event is reaching its all-time high. The players are gearing up for the all-important challenge and at the same time the fans and experts, too, are engaging in making their prediction for the WTC Final between India and Australia.
While most of the experts backed Australia to pip India in the ICC WTC Final due to their extra potent pace battery, some have left it to the five-day contest. Australia carries the likes of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc in their ranks, who are proven customers of the game. Moreover, the presence of Michael Nesser, Scott Boland and young Cameron Green spice up things a bit for the Aussies.
On the other side, team India will have the services of Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat, who are no rookies to English conditions.
The pitch will play a huge role in deciding the winner of the IND vs AUS WTC Final. Naturally, they have suited pacers in England and most probably this will also be the case at the Oval in London, where WTC Final will be held.
Talking about the pitch, the first impressions according to Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are that it has pace and good bounce. Ashwin, whose participation in the WTC Final is heavily debated, gave a first-hand experience of the Oval pitch, where the IND vs AUS game starts on June 7.
Ashwin shared a video on his Youtube channel, where he is seen having a sporting chat with a person named ‘Leez’, who he also refers to as the ‘Pitch Doctor’.
During the short conversation with the ‘Pitch Doctor’, Ashwin shared that some of the Indian players got hit while practising due to the bounce. Down below is the complete conversation of R Ashwin with the ‘Pitch Doctor’.
Ashwin: “Tell me what do we got in store?
Leez: “Good Oval pitch”
Ashwin: “You’ve always prepared good pitches. But today, some of our guys got hit on the practice pitches. So is it going to be similar?”
Leez: “Bounce, did it bounce”
Ashwin: “Yeah, it bounced a lot today. You don’t like me. You don’t get it to spin, right?
Ashwin: “What do you think? Are you excited for the final? Can we expect a nice and bouncy Brett Lee pitch?”
Leez: “It will be bouncy. That’s one thing I can guarantee. It will be bouncy.”
The pitch doctor further mentioned that it’s going to be pleasant throughout the five-day play and no rain is anticipated through the course of the game.
With the pitch producing bounce, and it inherently will have swing on offer, the Aussie pacers will become much more formidable. They will get the surface of their choice, which they are used to in their home conditions.
It remains to be seen, whether Australia or India comes on top when the five-day IND vs AUS WTC Final unfolds on coming Wednesday at the Kennington Oval in London.
ALSO READ: IND vs AUS Final: Absence of Jasprit Bumrah is advantage for Australia, says Ravi Shastri
The link to R Ashwin’s Youtube Video.
