Ravi Shastri Predicts India’s XI For World Test Championship Final

May 24, 2023 at 1:17 PM

facebook iconlinkedin iconmail icontwitter iconWhatsApp iconTelegram icon
Ravi Shastri Predicts India’s XI For World Test Championship Final

Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach has unveiled his Team India playing XI for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship Final (WTC 2023) which will be played at the Oval in London from June 7-11, 2023.

India, who will be appearing in their second consecutive ICC World Test Championship Final, will face off against the Australian team captained by Pat Cummins.

Shastri has a history of success at the venue, having led India to victory in the fourth Test against England in the same year, and has also coached the team till late 2021.

Looking ahead to India’s match against Australia, Shastri discussed India’s selection decisions ahead of the World Test Championship final with Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.

He first talked about the bowling attack with which India should go into this match. Shastri thinks India’s XI will be determined by two key factors; the fitness of the fast bowlers and the London weather in the build-up to the match.

Shastri thinks the option is there for India to select Ashwin as the only specialist spinner and use Jadeja to bat at No.6 should the pitch at The Oval look like it will take some spin.

Ravichandran Ashwin And Ravindra Jadeja Make The Australians Crumble. PC- Getty
Ravichandran Ashwin And Ravindra Jadeja Make The Australians Crumble. PC- Getty

“If the track is hard and dry, you would want two spinners to play for sure. I think it goes a lot with the weather in England. I believe it’s sunny now at the moment, but you know, English weather, how it can change in the month of June.

So there’s a very good chance India will go with two spinners, two fast bowlers and an all-rounder. That will be the combination. And then there’ll be five batsmen and the wicket-keeper, so six batsmen.

So if all conditions stay normal at The Oval, then this would be my combination, but you’ve got to have the quality to be able to put those guys out in the park,” he told ICC.

Shastri recognised that the gap left by Bumrah hampers India’s chances, but he remains confident in the group available for the final, even if it means selecting another spinner to compensate for the dearth of quicks.

Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj. PC- Getty

“India did very well in England last time round because you had Bumrah, you had Shami, you had Shardul Thakur, and you had Mohammed Siraj. So you had four fast bowlers. One being an all-rounder there, Shardul. “That combination is a very good combination in England. Especially from India’s point of view. It allows someone like Rohit Sharma to control the game far better,” he added.

Ravi Shastri stressed the need for batting focus; talks about Ajinkya Rahane

Injuries have also pushed India’s hand in the batting department, though Shastri has emphasised the need of application for the chosen top six with the bat.

Due to the absence of KL Rahul due to injury, the team will most likely start Shubman Gill alongside Rohit Sharma. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli will come at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, with the door open for Ajinkya Rahane to return to No. 5.

Ajinkya Rahane. PC- AP

The way he’s timed the ball, the way he’s looking at T20 from a different perspective. He’s not looking at the number of runs, he’s looking at the number of balls he’s playing as against that. What is the strike rate with those number of balls he’s played, which is good and which augurs well,” Shastri said of Rahane.

Ravi Shastri’s predicted India XI:

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj.

Also Read: IPL 2023: Chennai Super Kings Create A Strong Atmosphere And They Are Very Consistent – Michael Vaughan

Related Article
While MS Dhoni Was My Captain, My Eye Was On Virat Kohli: Ravi Shastri
While MS Dhoni Was My Captain, My Eye Was On Virat Kohli: Ravi Shastri

Feb 10, 2024, 3:34 PM


IND vs ENG: They Came Out And Did Not Keep The Scoreboard Moving – Ravi Shastri, Kevin Pietersen Lambasts Ravichandran Ashwin’s Lack Of Intent
IND vs ENG: They Came Out And Did Not Keep The Scoreboard Moving – Ravi Shastri, Kevin Pietersen Lambasts Ravichandran Ashwin’s Lack Of Intent

Feb 5, 2024, 11:49 AM


IND vs ENG: Cheteshwar Pujara Is Waiting, He Is Grinding It Out At The Ranji Trophy – Ravi Shastri On Shubman Gill’s Poor Form In Test Cricket
IND vs ENG: Cheteshwar Pujara Is Waiting, He Is Grinding It Out At The Ranji Trophy – Ravi Shastri On Shubman Gill’s Poor Form In Test Cricket

Feb 2, 2024, 3:07 PM


Watch: ‘Concerned’ Mark Waugh And Michael Vaughan React To Ravi Shastri’s ‘Dump’ Comment After India’s Collapse
Watch: ‘Concerned’ Mark Waugh And Michael Vaughan React To Ravi Shastri’s ‘Dump’ Comment After India’s Collapse

Jan 5, 2024, 11:56 AM


SA vs IND: Ravi Shastri Disappointed With Rohit Sharma’s Bowling Change On Day 2 Of Centurion Test
SA vs IND: Ravi Shastri Disappointed With Rohit Sharma’s Bowling Change On Day 2 Of Centurion Test

Dec 28, 2023, 2:56 PM


SA vs IND: I Think There Must Be Only Indians Voting In There, No One Else – Ravi Shastri Baffled By Broadcaster’s ODI Team Of The Year
SA vs IND: I Think There Must Be Only Indians Voting In There, No One Else – Ravi Shastri Baffled By Broadcaster’s ODI Team Of The Year

Dec 28, 2023, 2:43 PM


Desktop Banner
Mobile Banner