WTC Final 2023: Final Official Squad Players List India vs Australia
Ajinkya Rahane returns as we look at the final official 15-member squad and players list for India vs Australia WTC Final 2023.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday, April 25 officially announced the squad for Team India for the World Test Championship Final 2023. The WTC Final 2023 is set to take place from June 7-11 at the Oval, London, and India will officially send a 15-member squad for the marquee event.
The overall squad for Team India seems to be on the expected lines, except for a couple of players, who have been surprisingly included in the team. Breaking down the squad for Team India, we have 6 batters, 1 wicket-keeper, 3 spin all-rounders, and 5 pacers in the squad.
Surprise Selections:
Talking about the surprise selections, we have Ajinkya Rahane and Axar Patel. Rahane last played for India a year back in Jan 2022. However, his recent form in Rajni, IPL and lack of a solid middle-order batter has prompted the Indian team to select an experienced batter for the WTC Final.
Meanwhile, the selection of Axar Patel seems a surprise. Apart from Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, India have included another spin all-rounder, Axar Patel. Axar may not play the WTC Final unless one of Jaddu or Ash is injured and India decide to play 2 spinners in the squad. Hence, Axar’s selection seems redundant and pointless.
From the keeper standpoint, India have only selected KS Bharat as the primary keeper option. However, it seems, India are considering KL Rahul as the backup keeper option for KS Bharat. With WTC Final in England, it may also be a possibility to see Rahul as the keeper in the final 11 to strengthen the batting. Keeping against Pacers may not be that difficult, and Rahul can do more than a decent job there.
Focus on Pacers
Overall, India have selected 5 pacers in the squad, which again seems to be on the expected lines. Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav are the leading pacers in the squad. In addition, the Indian team has gone with left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat and experience of Shardul for the remaining two spots.
WTC Final 2023: Official 15-member Squad and Players List for Team India
Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma [c], Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli. KS Bharat [wk]. Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja. Jaydev Unadkat, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur & Umesh Yadav
Meanwhile, 15 is the official number that the teams are expected to send. However, Australia have shortlisted 17 players, and will cut down the list to 15 players ahead of the final. Of the 17 that they have selected, we should most probably see Todd Murphy and Mitchell Marsh being left out of the squad.
WTC Final 2023: Short-listed 17-Member Squad and Players List for Australia
David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Harris, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja. Alex Carey [wk], Josh Inglis [wk]. Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh. Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins [c], Scott Boland, Todd Murphy
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