'It will be bouncy that’s the one thing that I can guarantee' - Ravi Ashwin gets curator's insights on the Oval pitch ahead of WTC 2023 final

The excitement for the World Test Championship 2023 final is at its highest as the big game is less than one day away. India and Australia will be locking horns in the summit clash on Wednesday, June 7 at the Oval in London. Ahead of the big game, there have been widespread talks around how the pitch is going to behave as it will be for the first time ever that a Test will be played at the Oval in the month of June. 

Spilling beans about the same, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin managed to get some insights from the pitch curator Leez on Monday, June 5. Speaking with the off-spinner, Leez said that the pitch will be bouncy and hopefully the English weather will allow for a full game. During the conversation, Ashwin said

"You have always prepared good pitches. But today, some of our boys got hit on the practice pitches. So is it going to be similar? What do you think? It bounced a lot today. You don't like me? You don't get it to spin, right? Can we expect a nice and bouncy Brett Lee pitch?"

“Good Oval Pitch. It will be bouncy that’s the one thing that I can guarantee, it'll be bouncy,” said Leez speaking on Ravichandran Ashwin’s Youtube channel.

Traditionally, the Oval wicket has been a batting-friendly track with a minimal swing on offer. The track has also been a breeding ground for spinners in the last two days of the match. However, images of the pitch for the final surfacing on the internet show a lot of grass on the surface. Hence, the wicket is expected to provide great assistance to fast bowlers. 

Ashwin or Jadeja who will make the cut in playing XI?

Meanwhile, India will also have the tough task to decide whom to play between the two spinners Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The duo form a formidable pair in Asian spin-friendly conditions, however, only one of the two will make the cut if India are presented with a green top during the final.

Notably, India played both Ashwin and Jadeja in the WTC final 2021 against New Zealand which they ended up losing by 8 wickets. Hence, the team might go with the fourth seamer instead of playing two spinners as they did throughout the five-match series against England in 2021-22.

It will be interesting to see who between the two, makes the cut along with the seam all-rounder Shardul Thakur. Indian captain Rohit Sharma and the management have an uphill task of deciding the best playing combination to end India’s ten-year-long ICC trophy drought.