Published 17:06 IST, June 6th 2023
Rohit Sharma has blunt response to Ponting stating Australia are favourites for WTC Final
Ahead of the WTC 2023 final, Indian captain Rohit Sharma nullified Ricky Ponting's claims that Australia are favourites due to the English conditions
- SportFit
- 2 min read
India are all set to be engaged in a fierce battle with Australia in the World Test Championship which will kickstart at the Oval from 7th June. This is Rohit Sharma's second stint in a major ICC format following the T20 World Cup last year, where team was knocked out in the semifinals. The WTC final could just set the tone for Rohit and Co. ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup later this year in India.
On the eve of this one-off Test, Rohit faced the media as per the ICC norms. Recently at the WTC final Curtain Raiser event, Ricky Ponting claimed the English conditions will suit the Australians better than the Indian side. On being asked about Ponting's statement, Rohit replied in his trademark style.
Rohit Sharma's brilliant response to the massive Ricky Ponting claim
"That's his point of view. He is allowed to give his opinion. Only time will tell which team has used the conditions really well. People who are watching the game, the experts they will have their opinions. They will talk a lot before the start of the match, a buildup to the championship.
"But for us, it doesn't really matter because we know what is at stake and we need to focus on that. That is what the team is gonna do.
"Whoever uses the conditions well will probably win the game. As simple as that. And also handling the pressure during the course of these five days Because there will be times when the teams will be under pressure in these five days. Just got to adapt and handle that pressure really well to come out on top."
India vs Australia: WTC Final takes place at the Oval
Oval has been equally productive to both batsmen and bowlers. Australia retained their 2019 Ashes series with almost same lineup and on paper they do have an edge compared to India's new looked side.
Indian squad for the WTC FInal
Rohit Sharma (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, KS Bharat, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadakt, Umesh Yadav.
Reserves: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav
Updated 17:07 IST, June 6th 2023