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The All-India Senior Selection Committee (AICC) on April 25 (Tuesday) announced the senior men's national squad for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. In what came as a big surprise, veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane returned to the Indian setup and was named in the 15-member squad which will be led by captain Rohit Sharma.
Rahane, who last played for India in January 2022, was recalled to the national side on the back of a stellar show is the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a decent display in domestic cricket. Playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the veteran right-handed batter has scored 209 runs in five matches at a league-leading strike rate of 199.05.
Shardul Thakur also returned to the squad after missing the home Test series against Australia earlier in the year. The right-arm pacer has emerged as a vital cog in India's squad when it comes to Test matches in overseas condition.
India and Australia will square off in the second edition of the WTC final at a neutral venue which will make 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 between June 7 and June 11 at The Oval, London.
Meanwhule, Cricket Australia (CA) announced a 17-member squad on April 19 (Wednesday). Explosive opening batter David Warner, who has been grappling to find his best form in red-ball cricket, kept his place in the squad. Three players - all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, batter Marcus Haris and wicket-keeper Josh Inglis - have been recalled to the national side as the troika was not a part of the Australian squad for the Test series against India earlier in the year. Pat Cummins will return to lead Australia after missing a substantial amount due to personal issues.
India’s Test squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, K L Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.
Australia's Test squad for WTC final: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
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