WTC Final 2023: Sunil Gavaskar picks India's playing XI ahead of marquee event against Australia

The preparations for the World Test Championship 2023 Final have begun as Australia and India gear up for the marquee event with an aim to clinch the Test mace. The two sides will square off at The Oval in London on June 7, Wednesday, and while the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side will be aiming to complete the unfinished business from the previous edition, Australia will be looking for a victory in their maiden WTC Final outing.

Both sides have named a strong squad for the all-important clash, but India will have a setback as some of the key players have been forced to sit out due to their injuries. While wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been undergoing rehab after the horrific car accident in December 2022, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah among others have been recovering from their respective injuries.

Many former cricketers and experts have shared their opinion on India’s ideal playing combination, and former India captain and a legend of the game- Sunil Gavaskar- shared his opinion on India’s probable playing XI for the upcoming WTC Final against the Aussies. While speaking on Star Sports’ show Follow the Blues, Gavaskar said:

“I will talk about the batting and that will be Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as one-two. No. 3 is (Cheteshwar) Pujara, No. 4 is (Virat) Kohli, No. 5 is Ajinkya Rahane. No. 6 is where there is just a little bit of a concern. I would imagine No. 6 would be either (Srikar) Bharat or Ishan Kishan. They are talking about Bharat because he has played all these matches so far. So will probably stick with Bharat at six.”

If it's a bright day and a bright prediction, then you are looking at Jadeja and Ashwin: Gavaskar

India are in a fix to get the right man for the role of the wicketkeeper-batter ever since Rishabh Pant’s injury. With KL Rahul too out of the squad, India will be looking at KS Bharat, who kept the gloves during the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy which concluded in March 2023.

Since Ishan Kishan, India’s second option for the role, does not have experience in the international setup in the longest format of the game, Gavaskar feels that the team would likely continue with Bharat as he has first-hand experience of playing against the Aussies. Speaking further on India’s bowling unit, Gavaskar said:

“No. 7 will be (Ravindra) Jadeja. If it's a bright day and a bright prediction, then I think you are looking at Jadeja and (Ravichandran) Ashwin at No. 7 and No. 8. No. 9, 10 and 11 will be Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and maybe Shardul Thakur.”

Sunil Gavaskar’s Predicted India XI for WTC Final 2023:

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur