India vs Australia: Steve Smith unveils 'never-seen-before' bat ahead of WTC Final

Australian vice-captain Steve Smith was recently spotted practicing with a never-seen-before bat ahead of the highly-anticipated World Test Championship final. Smith, who is part of Australia's15-member squad, was seen using a one-of-a-kind bat while practicing with his teammates for the upcoming WTC final against India. Apparently, the bat with spikes is used by players to practice slip-catching and also by wicketkeepers to improve keeping reflexes. Smith was seen assisting Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey with the unique bat. 

A video of Smith using the unique bat has been shared on social media by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The video has garnered over 2,25,000 views in the past hour. Take a look at how Smith is practicing for the WTC final. 

Also Read: India Vs Australia: ICC Announce Umpires And Match Officials For Highly-awaited WTC Final

Steve Smith is a crucial part of the Australia squad that will take on Rohit Sharma's India in the WTC final this month. Smith will be looking to perform well in the one-off Test since it may well be his first and last time playing in the summit clash of the ICC's newly-launched red-ball tournament. This is Australia's maiden appearance in the WTC final, while India were also involved in the final of the inaugural edition against New Zealand in 2021.  

Australia are slated to lock horns against India in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23. The match is scheduled to take place from June 7 to 11 at England's Oval Cricket Ground. Both teams have arrived in the United Kingdom in order to acclimatize to the weather ahead of the highly-awaited clash.  

Also Read: 'Lord's Was Considered But...': ICC Reveals Why WTC Final Has Only Taken Place In England

WTC Final: Full squads

Australia's squad for WTC final: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Steven Smith (vice-captain), Mitchell Starc, David Warner. 

India’s squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).

Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.

Image: Instagram/SteveSmith