The World Test Championship (WTC) finals will be played from 7th June 2023. It will be played between India and Australia and will be taking place at The Oval. India will be squaring off with a dominant Australian side and they would be hoping to win their first ICC title since the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.
India had also played in the WTC finals in 2021 and had lost to New Zealand by 8 wickets. They have made it to the finals for the 2nd consecutive time and will be hoping to win it this time.
All the very more why India has a strong chance of winning the finals is because they have won the last 4 Test series against Australia. That is a big shot in the arm for India in terms of confidence.
In this article, we take a look at 3 players from the Indian team who will be part of the WTC final for the first time:
1. KS Bharat
A wicket-keeper batter from Andhra Pradesh, KS Bharat made his Test debut in the Border Gavaskar Test Series. He has been named in the WTC final squad of India and is all set to be drafted into the playing XI of India.
He has played 4 Test matches so far and has mustered 101 runs at an average of 20.2. KS Bharat will have to play a more dominant role in the upcoming WTC finals.
2. Ishan Kishan
Swashbuckling wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan has been named in the WTC final squad of India. He hasn’t played a single Test match so far in international cricket but is a like-for-like replacement of Rishabh Pant.
The southpaw is an aggressive batter and can hit some explosive shots right from the word go. If India wants to adopt a counter-attacking approach, then Ishan Kishan will be key to that plan.
Ishan Kishan has played 48 First-class matches and has a good average of 38.76.
3. Jaydev Unadkat
The pacer from Saurashtra, Jaydev Unadkat is one of the senior bowlers in the Indian cricket team. The left-arm pacer has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and can also swing the ball in both ways.
Jaydev Unadkat has played 101 First-class matches and has bagged 382 wickets. He has 22 five-wicket hauls and 5 ten-wicket hauls under his belt in First-class cricket.
Unadkat’s bowling will be quite crucial for India in the upcoming WTC finals at The Oval.
Also read: WTC 2023: 3 Reasons Why Skipper Pat Cummins Can Have A Good Game
