WTC final 2021-23: Here are the key battles
Australia and India would lock horns in the finals of the ICC World Test Championship final at the Oval, starting June 7. The Indians were the runners-up of the 2021 edition, having lost the final to New Zealand. Besides, Australia will play their maiden WTC final. There are quite a few intriguing player battles on offer. Here are a few of them.
Virat Kohli vs Pat Cummins
Indian batter Virat Kohli has been at his best across formats of late. He will face the firepower of Australian skipper Pat Cummins. Cummins has uprooted Kohli as many as five times. He has kept Kohli on the back foot, conceding 82 runs off 247 balls. The tally includes a total of 207 dot balls. Kohli averages just 16.40 against Cummins in Tests.
Cheteshwar Pujara vs Nathan Lyon
One of the greatest off-spinners, Nathan Lyon has an excellent record against Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara. Lyon has dismissed him 13 times in the longest format of the game. Notably, Pujara has scored 570 runs off 1,293 balls against Lyon. Pujara is one of India's best batters of this generation. He has the most Test runs against Australia among active Indian batters.
Kohli vs Lyon
Lyon has dismissed Kohli the joint-most number of times (7) in Test cricket, with James Anderson. The former, however, has the most dismissals against Kohli among spinners. Besides, Kohli has racked up 511 runs off 1,002 balls against Lyon in the longest format. The Indian batter has a strike rate of 50.99 against Lyon. The tally includes as many as 672 dot balls.
Rohit Sharma vs Mitchell Starc
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is usually vulnerable against left-arm pacers across formats. While the right-handed batter is known for his prowess against short balls, the incoming full-length deliveries perturb him. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to Mitchell Starc's thunderbolts at The Oval. Interestingly, Starc is yet to dismiss Rohit in 12 Test innings (95 runs off 151 balls).
Gill vs Starc, Cummins
Youngster Shubman Gill is in the form of his life at present. He has a century in each of the three formats in 2023. Like the Indian captain, Gill has a similar weakness when playing on the front foot. However, he has a strike rate of 92.85 against Starc in Tests without getting dismissed. Besides, Cummins has dismissed Gill thrice in six innings.
David Warner vs R Ashwin
Australia faced the wrath of Ravichandran Ashwin in the Border-Gavaskar series earlier this year. The veteran off-spinner finished as the leading wicket-taker, with 25 wickets at 17.28. If picked for the WTC final, Ashwin would hope to continue his run. Ashwin has dismissed Australia's star opener David Warner 11 times in Tests. Warner averages just 17.63 against Ashwin.
Steven Smith vs Ravindra Jadeja
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja paired up with Ashwin to decimate the Australians earlier this year. The former finished just behind Ashwin on the wickets tally (22). Steven Smith, the backbone of Australia's batting order would be wary of Jadeja once again. Notably, Jadeja has dismissed Smith seven times in the format. The latter has 232 runs off 674 balls in this battle.
