Team India Announce Playing XI For The First-Ever WTC Final, Mohammed Siraj Misses Out
The final of the inaugural World Test Championship will be played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton from 18 to 22 June. While India made it to the final with 12 wins, New Zealand registered 7 victories in their third ICC final in 7 years
Mumbai: Team India playing XI for the first-ever World Test Championship (WTC) final has been announced. Shubman Gill will open the batting with Rohit Sharma.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, and Hanuma Vihari have been omitted.
Both spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have also been included in the playing XI.
Ishant Sharma will lead the pace attack which includes Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. The three pacers were part of the last UK tour in 2018.
Rohit Sharma will open the innings along with Shubman Gill, who has overtaken KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal to make it to the playing XI. Cheteshwar Pujara will bat at number three and he will be followed by captain Virat Kohli. Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will bat at 5.
https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1405522436850782213?s=20
India has selected two spin bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin. Jadeja’s selection comes as a surprise as he has not been a regular member of the playing XI in overseas conditions. He played only 1 Test on the England tour in 2018.
Ashwin was an automatic selection and will lead the spin bowling duties. Both the spinners can contribute well with the bat as well.
Speaking to the press on the eve of the final, captain Kohli was of the opinion that the best team can’t be decided on the basis of just one match.
“If you are talking about Test team and deciding the best team based on one match over a period of five days, that is not the reality. This for us is just another Test match. The one-off Test is not going to reflect the truth. But the reality is what have done over the last 4-5 years. We are focussing on our processes. We are not here for a one-off Test. We are here for six Tests and the first Test begins tomorrow,” he said.
The final of the inaugural World Test Championship will be played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton from 18 to 22 June. While India made it to the final with 12 wins, New Zealand registered 7 victories in their third ICC final in 7 years.
New Zealand hasn’t named their playing XI for the final.
India’s playing XI: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami
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