WTC Final 2023: India's poor run in ICC events and why Rohit Sharma and Co can end the long wait

With international cricket, specifically the red-ball format, firmly back in focus, we shift our attention to India’s big assignment in hand — the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final starting Wednesday. After witnessing two months of high-voltage T20 action in the Indian Premier League (IPL), it’s time for good old Test cricket to take centre-stage again with the Indian team squaring off against Australia at The Oval in London.

It hasn’t been too long since India and Australia last faced each other on the cricket field. The two rivals, after all, had fought against one another in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which the Rohit Sharma-led side ended up retaining with a 2-1 series scoreline, right before the IPL.

WTC Final: All you need to know

The Indians extended their possession of the trophy by winning the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi by big margins. Australia managed to fight back in the third Test in Indore thanks to Steve Smith’s brilliant tactics, while the two sides played out a high-scoring draw on what was a road in Ahmedabad.

India’s performances in the 2023 BGT aside, it was Sri Lanka’s narrow defeat at the hands of New Zealand in Christchurch that ultimately sealed their place in the WTC final.

While India will no doubt seek inspiration from their victory over the Pat Cummins-led side earlier this year as well as their back-to-back series wins in Australia, the challenge is somewhat different this time around. After all, this will be the first time the two teams square off in a neutral venue in their 76-year Test history.

Read | What do stats tell us about India vs Australia Test matches?

Additionally, the green top that has been prepared at the Oval for the upcoming contest, together with the pronounced swing that bowlers are able to generate in this part of the world and the sheer quality in Australia’s pace department led by skipper Cummins himself makes this one contest to watch out for as well as a challenge for the ages for the Indians.

Two days to go for the #WTCFinal and this is how the pitch looks like