The Ultimate Test: India-Australia clash in WTC final set to ignite intense rivalries

Cricket Titans Collide: India vs Australia in the World Test Championship Final at The Oval. Image: ICC

Contests within a contest are what fans keenly look forward to. And, when it is The Ultimate Test, as the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia has been labelled, it becomes more exciting.

Rohit Sharma vs Mitchell Starc, Shubman Gill vs Pat Cummins, Cheteshwar Pujara vs Nathan Lyon, Virat Kohli vs Todd Murphy, Md Shami vs Usman Khawaja, Md Siraj vs David Warner, Ravichandran Ashwin vs David Warner, Ravindra Jadeja vs Steve Smith, Md Shami vs Marnus Labuschagne… the list goes on, and will be keenly followed at The Oval in London from June 7 to 11 with the 12th as the reserve day.

Former India head coach and Australian great Greg Chappell has reportedly said that Gill will struggle in English conditions, if the Aussie bowlers, Starc in particular, get extra pace and bounce.

The same applies to the Australian top order batsmen who have been found wanting by the Indian pacers in their own backyard on the previous two visits Down Under, in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Indian pace bowlers are no longer easy pickings around the world nor are Australian batsmen invincible and have been found wanting with the same extra pace and bounce that the Indians can generate according to the conditions.

How Rohit is faring

While Indian skipper Rohit has not been dismissed by Starc ever in the eight Tests that the two have been engaged with each other, Rohit has had his precarious moments against some of the Aussie bowlers, the most prominent being Lyon.

The Australian off-spinner, who is the eighth most successful wicket-taker in Tests with 482 scalps, has dismissed Rohit eight times in 11 head-to-head clashes.

But not before the Indian opener has had the better of the premier off-spinner, using his feet well to deposit him outside the ground or caressing him through the covers or flicking for attractive boundaries.

Early on, if Rohit does not fall to the leg trap – how often has he gone on to hook or pull the short ball straight into the hands of the long-leg fielder – he will be a delight to watch when he goes on the offensive.

The same hook or pull has yielded him maximum results. That is his favourite shot. That is something that Cummins and co will stage a plot against and try to dismiss the dangerous Indian opening batsmen early.
The Aussie plan against Gill

Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have had a fair measure of Gill, though they came in the Indian opener’s maiden series in Australia in 2020-21. Since then, the mature right-hander has worked his way up to see off the new ball and take the attack to the opposition, hurriedly scoring runs before one even realises.

Gill keeps the scorers busy when he is at the crease, especially when the ball is new. That could also cause his downfall as he can be vulnerable to the moving ball, if not carefully watching it or getting his timing wrong.
Pujara has a little edge

India’s No. 3 batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara, who has a liking for the Aussie bowlers (average 47.29) but not a glorious record in England (average 29.61), will be keen to set his record straight against Lyon, of all the bowlers.

Having often fallen to the moving ball and edging to the cordon behind the wicket, Pujara has won battles against the Aussie bowlers, pace and spin alike. He is not afraid to use his feet against spin and drive through the on-side with the spin, thereby negating the turn before the ball can cause any harm.

Pujara’s acclimatization to the English conditions, having spent time there since April with Sussex in the English County Championship, gives him the edge over all contestants in the WTC final.

While Pujara has had good returns against Australia, he has also been the bunny of Lyon, falling to him 13 times, the batsman most dismissed by the Aussie. The right-hander from Saurashtra has also been dismissed seven times by Cummins and six times by Hazlewood.

Kohli’s spin trouble

The most-prized wicket in the Indian line-up for his achievements in international cricket and especially going by the batsmanship qualities that he has been displaying in recent times is of Kohli. Not only has Kohli excelled against the Aussie bowlers but also in England, barring his first trip there in 2014.

Take away his miserable 13.40 average from his first trip to England and Kohli has improved in the next two trips to average 44-plus.
However, Kohli, who is alert against medium pacers, watchful for anything outside the off stump and also neatly caressing the ball through the cover for delightful fours, has not been performing well against off-spinners, in particular.

Such has been his doubt while playing to the one that turns in that even debutant off-spinner Todd Murphy dismissed him four times in six innings in India earlier this year. And, the other two times Kohli fell to debutant left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann.

While Kohli has often been troubled by spinners in recent times, even the pacers have got the better of him by equal measure. Kohli has been dismissed 14 times each by the slow bowlers and pacers in the 28 Test innings since the start of this WTC cycle in England two years ago.

Rahane too has the same trouble

Like Kohli’s problems against spin, the most likely India’s No. 5 in the WTC final, Rahane too has been challenged severely by the spinners, having been dismissed by Lyon 10 times and England’s offie Moeen Ali eight times. The fact that Rahane invariably walks in to bat when the ball is old and the spinners are in operation is one of the main reasons for Rahane to be dismissed by the spinners.

But, it was his inability to live up to the pace of Kagiso Rabada and co in South Africa that saw his ouster from the Test squad early last year. One of the better players of spin, Rahane will have to pull up his socks and settle scores with Lyon, should he extend his Test career, that has been given a lifeline by his selection into the WTC final for his experience.
Ashwin vs left-handers

The Indian pacers against the Australian top-order and the Ashwin duel with the left-hand heavy Australian batting line-up with, at least four in the top six – David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Alex Carey – will be keen to follow over the next one week.

Ashwin has had a good success rate against Australian left-handers, dismissing Warner 11 times, Carey five times and Khawaja, four. Ashwin has been a left-hander’s nightmare, having dismissed the maximum left-handed batsmen in Test history – 241 out of his 474 Test wickets, making for nearly 51 percent of his victims.

Ashwin’s partner in crime, Jadeja, has had a much better success percentage against right-handed batsmen, dismissing batsmen of this breed 167 times for his 264 wickets, accounting for 63.26 percent.

The likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will be wary of Jadeja’s guiles, who has been the much-preferred spinner overseas whenever India have gone in with one spinner, keeping Ashwin on the bench. Jadeja has accounted for Smith seven times in 12 Tests and Labuschagne, five in seven Tests.

But with the final being in England, the Indian spinners will not be in action until there is wear and tear on the ball. India does have the wherewithal to challenge the Aussie top-order with Shami and Siraj swinging the ball both ways while Umesh Yadav has been his best against the Australian top-order, scalping Warner six times and Smith four times, among others.
Yadav has had a memorable outing in his only Test at The Oval, picking up six wickets and playing a key role in India’s win in 2021.

Yadav has taken nearly one-third of his 168 Test wickets against Australia. Should he play as the third seamer, he will prove more than handy against the Aussies.