WTC Final: Steve Smith names two Indian bowlers who will be the biggest threats to Australia in World Test Championship title clash

Ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final clash against India, former Australia captain Steve Smith named two Indian bowlers who will pose a big challenge to Aussie batters.

SportsTak

• Tue • 06 Jun 2023

Ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final clash against India, former Australia captain Steve Smith named two Indian bowlers who will pose a big challenge to Aussie batters. The Baggy Greens' best Test batter, Smith named Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj as their skillset is well suited for conditions in England. Apart from the two pacemen, Smith also spoke about the challenge of facing Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.

"They have got a good mix of quality seam bowlers, with Shami and Siraj probably their two main guys," Smith said in a pre-match press conference.

"They have really good skills and the Dukes ball will suit them nicely. And then obviously their spinners as well, who bowl well in all conditions. So I think they have a good attack and we are going to have to play well against them this week," he added.

Shami is the most experienced bowler in India's 2023 WTC final squad. The right-arm pacer has played 13 Tests in England, picking 38 wickets in the process at an average of 40.52. On the flip side, Siraj has bagged 18 wickets in five Test matches in England at an average of 33.

Two of the top-ranked teams - India and Australia - will square off in the second edition of the World Test Championship final at a neutral venue, making the contest even more compelling. It will be for the first time in two decades that India and Australia will lock horns in an ICC tournament final. The last time these two sides locked horns in an ICC final was in 2003 when Australia defeated India in the ODI World Cup final. The 2023 WTC final will be played between June 7 and June 11 at The Oval, London.

India finished runners-up in the last edition of WTC as they lost the final against New Zealand. This time, Rohit Sharma's brigade would look to cross the final hurdle and end their ICC trophy drought.