ICC World Test Championship: India’s probable playing11 for ICC World Test Championship Final against New Zealand.
ICC World Test Championship: The inaugural tournament for the Test did its bit to revive the Test format which was on a constant downfall after multiple limited overs leagues and tournaments were introduced. The move which was taken to once again give priority to the longest format has done fairly well to make an impact.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) back in 2019 started the ICC World Test Championship, the final of which will be played in Southampton 18 June onwards. New Zealand and India are the two finalists and will lock horns for one final time for the championship 2019-21.
Here in this article, we will take a look at India’s probable playing11 for the final of the ICC World Test Championship against New Zealand.
India’s probable playing11 for ICC World Test Championship Final:
Openers:
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill:
The Indian management will go ahead with the duo of experienced Rohit Sharma and young Shubman Gill. The former cricketer has been impressive in the whole ICC World Test Championship and is amongst the top run-getters while Shubman Gill’s stats as an opener in the overseas conditions are eye openers.
Gill’s home test series against England didn’t go the way he would have liked however his heroics in Australia will help him back his position in the Indian side. He is a talented youngster and is capable of doing well in the swinging tracks.
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Rohit Sharma played a crucial part in bouncing back against England after the first humiliating loss. He scored 161 runs in the first innings of the second game to help India put up a strong total against England in the rank turner.
India’s victory percentage will highly depend on the performances of the openers. Both Gill and Rohit will have to stitch a scintillating partnership in order to create a winning momentum.
Cheteshwar Pujara:
There is no doubt in the position of this guy in Test Cricket. Cheteshwar Pujara has been the new era wall for India and has done extremely well. With the experience of 85 Test games, Pujara is a vital cog in India’s batting lineup.
However, English surfaces has not been fruitful to him. In 4 games, he only managed to muster 133 runs at an average of 22.17. He will be hoping to improve his records in English soil and perform in the usual Pujara style.
Virat Kohli:
No surprises at number 4, I guess. Virat Kohli, the skipper of Indian side is definitely going to be the important factor in deciding the wind of the game. He is the only guy in the world to plunder 7 Test double tons.
In 91 Test appearances, Kohli has amassed 7490 runs at an impressive average of 52.38. His records also included 27 centuries in the white colours.
His recent series haven’t really complemented his calibre and stature in world cricket. But then, he is an experienced cricketer with enormous experience and knows very well how to perform in the crucial situations.
Ajinkya Rahane:
The Indian long format Vice-Captain, Ajinkya Rahane also didn’t have a good home season against England. He managed to score 112 runs in 6 innings at a poor average of 18.67.
Ajinkya Rahane has been the guy of crucial moments. He saved India after a humiliating debacle against Australia. Rahane scored classic 112 runs and helped India bounce back at Melbourne.
In the ICC World test Championship, Rahane will surely come harder and the Indian contingent would be hoping for some good contributions from him too in the all-important final against New Zealand.
Rishabh Pant:
The biggest positive sign for India is RIshabh Pant’s form lately. The 23-years old southpaw has shown a tremendous turn-around in the last three and a half months. His contributions in the last two test series against Australia and England has been praiseworthy.
In the Australia tour in 2020-21, Pant amassed 274 runs from 5 innings with multiple big scores while piled-up 270 runs in the England tour.
In the span of just three months, Pant has transformed himself into a dependable player.
Ravindra Jadeja:
The left-handed all rounder Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best in the business. He has excelled in all three disciplines, has the best pair of hands while fielding, can be very handy with willow and ball in hand.
Jadeja has scalped 220 wickets in test cricket with 9 five wickets haul in 51 games. Moreover, his batting has been one of his key features. He has scored 1954 runs at an average of 36.18.
Besides all this, the recent form of Ravindra Jadeja is noteworthy. He smacked 131 runs in six innings at an average of 131.00.
Bowlers:
Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami.
When it comes to specialist bowling, India carries one of the best lineups in world cricket. The likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammad Shami can ravage any batting unit.
All the four bowlers have enough Test experience to tackle the New Zealand batters in the ICC World Test Championship.
Ravichandran Ashwin is on a dream run in 2021. He troubled the English batsmen and scalped 34 wickets at an average of 18.82. Apart from his exceptional bowling, he has been handy with the bat too. He saved the third test against Australia in Sydney and took India to a memorable draw.
He is also the modern day spin greats with in-excess of 400 wickets under his belt. He is the second fastest after Muttiah Muralitharan to achieve this feat.
Ishant Sharma is the only second Indian pacer to breach 100 matches mark in test cricket. Apart from this, he is also the sixth highest wicket taker for Indian in test.
He has scalped 303 wickets in 100 test games at an average of 32.27. His abilities to swing the ball both ways and his variations using his height makes him a lethal bowler for India.
Mohammad Shami, the right hand senior pacer will also be making to the list of the ICC World Test Championship Final. Shami has an experience of 50 games in white with 180 wickets at an impressive average of 27.59.
Jasprit Bumrah will be the final name that comes to the list of India’s strongest playing11 for the ICC World Test Championship final. He is an all format player for India due to his accurate and sensational bowling display.
His unconventional arm action gives him an edge over others to unsettle the batsman and encourages him to play false shots. His test career is just 19 games long in which he has scalped a whopping 83 wickets at an average of 22.11.