India made it to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-2023 final after New Zealand pulled off a thrilling two-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Christchurch few days back. India will now face the mighty Australia in the all-important WTC final which will be held at the Oval from June 7 to June 11.
After sealing the just concluded four-match Test series 2-1, India also retained the Border-Gavaskar series after notching wins in the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi respectively.
Meanwhile, India's batting great Sachin Tendulkar picked his favourite for the WTC title and said that India stand a very good chance of winning the coveted title. Notably India made WTC final for the second straight time as in the last edition they lost to New Zealand in the summit clash at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
"We have played well and we have a good team, a balanced team. In those conditions, you have to see the overhead conditions and then also, the forecast comes into play. In Test cricket, you will have to understand conditions for the next five days and pick the squad accordingly," Tendulkar said at the India Today Conclave 2023.
"It would be slightly challenging for a captain to have extra spinners in the team to get the balance right. I am only thinking from India's point of view, let Australians do what they want to do. We stand a very good chance," Tendulkar further added.
Meanwhile, after suffering back-to-back defeats in the first and second Test against India, Australia made a sensational comeback to trounce India in the third Test in Indore and thus became the first team to cruise into WTC final.
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Beside giving his two cent on WTC final, Tendulkar feels that International Cricket Council (ICC) should reconsider its decision to ban the use of saliva to shine the ball.
"I am not a medical expert, but saliva on the ball should be back. It has happened for over 100 years and nothing drastic has happened. Yes, the decision was rightly taken in 2020, but that is now behind us. Now, it is something that should be considered," Tendulkar concluded.
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