In Short
- KS Bharat finds his place in squad as first-choice wicketkeeper
- Ajinkya Rahane back in Test squad for the first time since January 2022
- India will face Australia from June 7 to 11 in the WTC final in London
By India Today Sports DeskThe Indian cricket board (BCCI) announced a 15-man squad for the much-anticipated World Test Championship 2021-23 final on Tuesday, Apriul 25. Rohit Sharma will lead a 15-man squad against Australia in the WTC final, which will be played from June 7 to 11 at the Oval in London.
Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane returns to the squad after a series of fine performances in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. All-rounder Shardul Thakur has also been picked in the 15-man squad.
Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat has retained his place in the 5-man pace attack, which also has Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav.
Shubman Gill is expected to open the innings along with captain Rohit Sharma while KL Rahul has also been named in the squad. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who was part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has been dropped.
KS Bharat has been named as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter despite his ordinary showing in the 4-Test series against Australia at home in February-March.
INDIA SQUAD FOR WTC FINAL
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, K L Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.
RAHANE BACK!
Ajinkya Rahane, who last played for India in their tour of South Africa in 2022, returns to the squad on the back of consistent performances. Rahane’s selection also is a reflection of the selectors’ decision to play it safe in the absence of injured Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant.
Rahane scored 634 runs for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy 2022-23, hitting 2 centuries, including a double hundred, in 7 matches. He has been in imperious form for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023, scoring at a strike rate of close to 200.
Rahane and KL Rahul might battle for a spot in the middle-order while Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara will be part of a solid top-order or India.
India qualified for the World Test Championship final for the second time in the tournament’s nascent history while Australia, who topped the table, reached their maiden final. Rohti Sharma’s men sealed the berth after beating Australia 2-1 at home, setting up a blockbuster finale against Pat Cummins’s side.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Earlier in the month, Australia also announced their squad for the World Test Championship final, bringing back the likes of Mitchell Marsh and retaining struggling David Warner.
Pat Cummins (captain), 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 (vice-captain), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
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