INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TOI takes a tactical look at the India-Australia Test at The Oval...India and Australia are going to lock horns in the much-anticipated
World Test Championship final, starting Wednesday at The Oval
While Australia has reached the final for the first time, India made it to the summit clash in the 2021 edition but lost to New Zealand by
Both teams recently faced each other in the Border Gavaskar Trophy in India and the hosts dominated the series, riding on some spectacular
performances from spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
The duo collectively picked up 47 wickets
The WTC final, however, is going to be a different ball game
TOI takes a look at the tactics on which the outcome of the final will depend.How Indian openers counter the new ballA good opening
partnership was the catalyst in India dominating the first four Tests of the 2021-22 Test series in England
During that time, the openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma scored big runs
Both scored match-winning hundreds - Rahul in the second Test at Lord's and Rohit in the fourth Test at The Oval
Rohit scored 368 runs in the first four Tests at an average of 52.57 with one hundred and two half-centuries
Rahul was not far behind and ended with 315 runs from the four Tests at an average of 39.37.With Rahul injured, Shubman Gill is set to open
in the WTC final alongside Rohit
Gill has been in stellar form across international formats in 2023 and also the recently-concluded IPL
But playing the Australian new ball attack comprising Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland on seamer-friendly conditions will be a
totally different ball game
In all likelihood, it will be a fresh pitch with the surface being dry at The Oval - the venue for the WTC final
In such conditions, both Gill and Rohit have to ensure the Aussies don't get a flurry of wickets with the new ball
A decent enough start will go a long way in India getting the initial advantage
Ashwin against the Australian southpawsRavichandran Ashwin and his success rate against left-handed batters is just out of this world
Ashwin holds the record of dismissing the most number of left-handed batters in Test cricket
In 92 Tests so far, Ashwin has scalped 474 wickets out of which 241 are lefties - a success percentage of 50.84 percent
James Anderson, who is second on the list of bowlers with most left-handed victims, has 212 wickets to his credit and a 30.95 percent victim
ratio.1/11WTC Final: Indian batting power up against Australian pace attackPreviousNextShow Captionslt;p>A duel between India's formidable
top order and Australia's fiery pace attack could determine who comes out on top when the WTC Final gets underway at the Oval on Wednesday
lt;p>India have dominated, both home and away, the recent duels between the Test heavyweights, who claimed the top two spots after a
two-year cycle to book their place for the final
lt;p>India have recalled Ajinkya Rahane to reinforce their batting line-up, which will have to be at its best to negate the Australian
lt;p>Eyes will be on Shubman Gill following the opener's sublime cross-format display this year, with captain Rohit Sharma looking to lead
lt;p>India will also be relying on Cheteshwar Pujara's obduracy, Virat Kohli's class and Ajinkya Rahane's resilience to counter Pat
Cummins and Mitchell Starc
lt;p>Mohammed Shami will lead India's pace attack, but they are yet to make up their mind on whether to harness a second spinner,
Ravichandran Ashwin, with Ravindra Jadeja
lt;p>For Pat Cummins and Co, the WTC final is the first of three major campaigns this year, along with the Ashes and the 50-overs World Cup
in India in October-November
lt;p>Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood lost his race to be fit for the WTC final, but Australia have a potent replacement in Scott
Boland.lt;p>All-rounder Cameron Green will be expected to play a key role, but individually no one will have more at stake than opener David
lt;p>Usman Khawaja has been in rich form, but Australia will be looking to Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, to provide the bedrock of
Interestingly, Australia has five southpaws in their most likely playing XI
Right from openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja to Travis Head and wicketkeeper-bat Alex Carey and in the lower-order Mitchell Starc,
Ashwin will have a buffet of southpaws to feast on
Even based on recent form, Ashwin has had the wood on the Aussies - especially their left-handers
1/11WTC Final: India and Australia records at The OvalPreviousNextShow Captionslt;p>As Australia prepare for the World Test Championship
final against India, the men from Down Under would be eager to put their past struggles at The Oval behind them.lt;p>In over 140 years of
Test cricket in England, Australia have had one of the worst records at The Oval, which will host the final from June 7 to 11 between the
top two Test sides.lt;p>Australia played at The Oval in 1880 in what was the first-ever Test in England
lt;p>The Aussies have managed mere seven wins from 38 Tests at The Oval, putting their success rate at the venue at 18.42 per cent, their
lt;p>Australia have won just twice in the past 50 years at The Oval
lt;p>Australia have 17 wins from 29 matches at Lord's at a success rate of 43.59 per cent.lt;p>India, on the other hand, haven't fared too
well at the venue either having won two, drawn seven and lost five games
lt;p>But the Rohit Sharma-led side will be boosted by the 157-run win over England at The Oval in 2021, which was it's first Test victory
lt;p>Australia finished the 2021-23 WTC cycle on top of the table, their only loss being the 1-2 away defeat to India earlier this year
lt;p>The Aussies haven't beaten the Men in Blue, both home and away, in eight years -- suffering four successive series defeats
When Australia travelled to India earlier this year for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Ashwin claimed 25 wickets in four Tests at an average of
17.28 and a strike-rate of 39.9
Out of the 25 victims, 15 were left-handers
It's a no-brainer that against five left-handers of the opposition, Ashwin will be India's trump card
Playing their own brand of cricketWith the advent of 'Bazball', England have gone the ultra-aggressive approach in Test cricket
It has worked for the English team so far
The Australians, too, play with an aggressive bent of mind - whether it is with the bat or the ball
In non-subcontinental conditions, Australian batters easily maintain a run-rate of 4-4.5 runs per over
They try to push the game ahead
For India, both bowlers as well as batters, the challenge will be to dictate the pace of the final while playing their own brand of
cricket.1/11WTC Final: Acid test for Shubman GillPreviousNextShow Captionslt;p>No one ever doubted Shubman Gill's class but over the last
two months of the IPL, he has suddenly hit a different level
lt;p>All the attention is now firmly on Gill and the cricket world is ready to present him as Virat Kohli's heir apparent
lt;p>A decade ago, Kohli took over the mantle from Sachin Tendulkar
lt;p>While Kohli's ODI performances in the early 2010s had a major role in that, his biggest test came in red-ball cricket
lt;p>Once Tendulkar retired, in the first Test that he played - against South Africa in Johannesburg - Kohli smashed 119 and 96
lt;p>Kohli is still far from being retired but now is the moment of transition
lt;p>If Gill has to truly become the claimant of the 'king of Indian cricket' title, he has to recreate his T20 magic in Test matches
lt;p>Not that Gill hasn't shown flashes of it already, but come the World Test Championship final at the Oval from June 7, the arc lights
will really be on him.lt;p>Gill's job could be slightly more difficult than what it was for Kohli all those years ago, for the simple
reason that the Punjab boy is an opener
lt;p>The chance of failure while opening the batting in red-ball cricket is higher than at No
4 or 5, especially when the Test is being played on English soil
By going the English or Aussie way, the Indian team will dig their own grave
The challenge will be to ensure the match goes till the fifth day and it doesn't move at such a frenetic pace that everything is over within
three days - something the Aussies relish upon
Therefore, the bowlers will have to ensure that while going for wickets, the opposition run-rate doesn't go through the roof.Tight bowling,
keeping a check on the Australian run-rate will automatically result in wickets
While batting, throwing the bat around for an eye-catching 20-25 won't cut the ice
The batters will have to stay put at the crease and bat for long hours
In English conditions, the batters should look to wear down the opposition bowlers and then cash in at the later part when they get tired
But for that to happen, the initial fight would be imperative.How Indian bowlers utilise the Dukes ballThe WTC final will be played using
the Grade 1 Dukes ball manufactured in England
The Dukes ball differs significantly from the Kookaburra ball, mainly used in Australia and South Africa, or the SG Test ball used in India
As compared to the Kookaburra ball or the SG ball, the Dukes ball stays harder for a longer period of time, and its pronounced seam helps
the ball to move in the air and off the pitch as well for a considerable length of time.The Indian seamers, especially Mohammed Shami and
Mohammed Siraj, will have to get used to bowling with the Dukes ball as quickly as possible
The backup pacers Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat, whosoever gets picked in the playing XI, will have to share the mantle and
Shami's record in England isn't that great
He has 38 wickets to his name in 13 Tests at an average of 40.52 and a strike-rate of 69.3
His partner Siraj is somewhat better, having picked 18 wickets in five Tests at an average of 33.00.In comparison to the Indian seamers, the
Australian pace brigade led by Mitchell Starc and skipper Pat Cummins have a better record in England while bowling with the Dukes ball
Starc has 33 wickets in nine Tests, and he strikes every 54.6 balls in England
Cummins has a devastating effect in England
He has 29 wickets to his name in five Tests at an average of 19.62 and he strikes every 43.6 balls
The Indian fast bowlers, therefore, have to go that extra mile in the final.Slip catching will be key for a positive resultIndia will be
playing its second consecutive WTC final
In 2021, in the inaugural WTC final, India had lost the summit clash to New Zealand by 8 wickets
Besides the quintessential batting failures in both innings on a seaming wicket, the Indian team was also plagued by dropped catches at
crucial junctures of the 2021 final
After India made 217 in their first essay, the bowlers - led by Mohammed Shami - had the Kiwis tottering at 162/6, and a decent lead was in
But then catches were dropped and New Zealand went past the Indian first innings total
The tail wagged as the Black Caps reached a total of 249.Later in the match, during New Zealand's second innings, a tricky chase of 140
was made to look easy as the Kane Williamson-led side romped home, reaching the target by losing just two wickets
This after the Kiwis were reduced to 44/2
Again, a couple of missed chances were the Indian team's bane
This time, against the Australians, the Indian team wouldn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past
The catching standards, especially in the slip cordon, have to be top notch
Even a single drop may have a game-changing impact, and the Indians have to be doubly careful about that.
