Former India coach Ravi Shastri picked Mohammad Shami as the Indian bowler who might be tough for Australia to handle in the upcoming ICC WTC 2023 final which will be played at the Oval from June 7-11.
India qualified for the final after defeating Australia at home 2-1 in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series, while Australia finished at no.1 spot despite the series loss.
When contrasted to the Australian pace attack, which will feature the likes of Pat Cummins and Mitchel Starc for the ICC World Test Championship final commencing on Wednesday, Ravi Shastri believes India is at a disadvantage without Jasprit Bumrah.
Due to various fitness concerns, India will be without a few important players for the title match, including Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul.
“I would say if you look at pace attack, if Bumrah was there, I would say it was equal with an attack of Mohammed Shami, Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. But that Aussie attack with Starc, Cummins, may be the match fitness will come into play,” Shastri said during ICC’s ‘Afternoon with Test Legends’ event.
He picked seasoned campaigner Mohammed Shami as the key bowler who can leave an impact in the early stages.
“Like there is Shami who might just come in and do the damage in the first half an hour because he has been playing so much of cricket. He might deny someone from settling in with his line and length,” Shastri said.
India has pace options in Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and Jaydev Unadkat for the WTC final.
It Depends On How Australia Have Prepared: Ravi Shastri Says Pat Cummins And Co. Have The Edge Over India, Only On Paper
Shastri also touched upon Australia’s preparations for the WTC 2023 final and said that many of their cricketers have not played cricket for some time, especially red-ball game. He also felt that they have missed a chance here by opting not to play any practice game ahead of the crunch summit clash.
“…you need some cricket behind you. It’s not the number of overs you bowl or how long you bat but it’s about staying at the park for six hours. It’s totally different from bowling in the nets for two hours or so. So, it depends on how Australia have prepared. On paper, if you look man to man, they have a slight edge. But that match fitness might be the key,” he said.