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How India should line up for the World Test Championship final

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Roar Rookie
25th May, 2021
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I could argue that during the course of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC), the weather outdid England, Australia’s abandoned tour of South Africa obstructed their path to the final, the points system was flawed, NZ are yet to prove their mettle away from home, or that India prepared poor wickets against England.

But the very fact that these topics have dominated cricket headlines over the last couple of years goes to show that the WTC has added a touch of relevance and importance to Test cricket. As flawed as it was, it did a lot of things right.

India and New Zealand are the two finalists. Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson are the two captains. There are plenty of superstars on either side.

What works for India is that they have plenty of viable permutations and combinations. The fast bowlers are stacked in a way that Indian cricket has never seen before.

With the kind of form that he’s carried right through to the IPL, Mohammad Siraj is bound be a major talking point among the team management.

His inclusion, though, is not so straightforward. The trio of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami has been India’s driving force away from home.

Each one of them is indispensable. Who could you possibly leave out with a fair justification? Not to mention how varied their individual skill sets are, combining to form one lethal unit.

Jasprit Bumrah celebrates with his Indian team

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

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And if India does fall into the temptation of playing four seamers, it becomes a bit of a gamble, given that turn is not alien to Southampton.

In such a scenario, Kohli will need the experience and guile of both his premier spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, thereby eliminating the possibility of a four-pronged pace attack.

There has been a fair bit of a discussion over Shardul Thakur’s possible inclusion. At number eight, he’s more than capable of holding his own. The question then arises, to accommodate Shardul, would Kohli want to sacrifice the luxury of an in-form Ashwin?

Jadeja, by virtue of his batting skill alone, cements the number seven spot. There is almost no scope for debate there.

The batting line-up finds itself in a rather peculiar situation. The key batsmen do not have pretty numbers in England, but realistically none of them can be dropped, owing to their experience.

To carry on with the same batting core is a decision that the team management has consistently backed at various stages of the WTC cycle.

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Among Rohit Sharma (average 17.00 in England), Cheteshwar Pujara (29.41), Kohli (36.35), and Ajinkya Rahane (29.26), only Kohli has managed to string together some consistency in England (593 runs in the 2019 Test series). Considering the evident frailties of the top order, Hanuma Vihari could sneak in as an extra option.

There exists a stern challenge for the batsmen to play out time against the initial high-quality burst of Trent Boult and Tim Southee. It’s a well documented fact that Test matches are never forgiving to teams that falter against the new ball.

The cumulative runs between Rishabh Pant and Jadeja become so much more important when you read those averages. Essential to India’s success would be setting a platform, which allows Pant to control the game his way.

Once he gets going, most factors turn irrelevant. It’s truly one of the joys of contemporary cricket.

Rishabh Pant

(Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images)

Another call that has to be made is that of Rohit Sharma’s opening partner. Shubman Gill played the innings of his life not too long ago, at one of world cricket’s most feared venues. What goes against him is the obvious lack of rhythm in his game since the home series against England.

Flashing hard at deliveries on the fifth or sixth stump line and often getting beat in the gap between bat and pad are concerning facets of his technique, which will be highlighted all the more in English conditions. It goes without saying that Gill has the superstar potential. It’s only a matter of time before he finds his feet at the top level.

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His competitor, Mayank Agarwal, looked in good touch at the IPL and his impressive CV in Test cricket could possibly tilt the selection scales in his favour.

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The warm-up games should give India a lot more clarity on the opener conundrum. At present, Gill is the front-runner.

In whichever direction the team decides to look for his partner, it is Rohit Sharma who must take the onus of steadying the ship from one end. He certainly has a lot to prove to a lot of people. The 2021 English summer is going to go a long way in defining Rohit Sharma the Test match batsman.

Because this contest is to be played at a neutral venue, an air of mystery awaits both camps. And that mystery factor, coupled with the pressures that come with an ICC knockout game, is sure to elevate this contest a notch higher.

New Zealand gain early access to English conditions with a series against the home side. In more ways than one, that’s an advantage. What’s imperative is that India don’t see it that way, but rather focus on their own practice games as a litmus test for the final frontier.

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My preferred XI
1. Rohit Sharma
2. Shubman Gill
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
4. Virat Kohli (captain)
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
9. Jasprit Bumrah
10. Ishant Sharma
11. Mohammed Shami

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