Former Australian captain Aaron Finch has picked his choice of Indian team’s playing 11 for the game against Australia in the World Test Championship final. The 36-year-old has picked Ishan Kishan as the wicket-keeper batter for the side over KS Bharat.
The full strength of the India squad has begun training at the Arundel Castle Cricket Club in Sussex, following the completion of the cash-rich league as Team India will take on Australia in the WTC final at The Kennington Oval in London from June 7 to 11 and has travelled to London for the much-awaited game with less than three days
Recently, in a video released by Star Sports, Aaron Finch named Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma as the opener of the team, which is a pretty obvious choice for the former Australian Skipper, as the young Gill is looking in a phenomenal touch in all three formats of the game alongside big match player Rohit Sharma at the top of the order.
Aaron Finch has picked Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in the number three and four spots in his team as the Indian veterans would like to put in a match-winning performance for their side in the high-stakes final.
Finch has picked Ajinkya Rahane for the number 5 spot, and he has gone with debutant Ishan Kishan for the role of a wicket-keeper spot in the side and reckons that Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will make it to his team as the oval pitch can spin in the later half of the game.
“I think [Ajinkya] Rahane will get recalled at No. 5. I think Ishan Kishan will get the nod as wicketkeeper and bat at No. 6.”
“[I am] going in with two spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The Oval pitch can spin quite a bit later in the game, so I think that would be important,” Aaron Finch said.
It will be interesting to see whether the Indian team gives a debut to Ishan Kishan in the World Test Championship final against Australia or continue with KS Bharat, who has played as a wicket-keeper in the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023.
I Think It Becomes A Very Well-rounded And Very Good Team – Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch has named Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur as the third pacer alongside Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in the bowling lineup, ignoring experienced Umesh Yadav and left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadakat in his team.
‘They have got wicket-takers with the new ball. They’ve got the option of Shardul Thakur, as the extra quick along with the two spinners. If we combine all that, I think it becomes a very well-rounded and very good team,” Aaron Finch concluded.
Prominent Indian players such as Shubman Gill, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin have performed exceedingly well in the recently concluded Indian Premier League and will look to transform their fine form the WTC final against Australia.
Aaron Finch’s India playing XI for WTC final: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (captain), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.