WTC 2023 Final: 3 major talking points that will decide the fate of IND vs AUS at the Oval

IND vs AUS: Rohit Sharma's team India are all set to take on Pat Cummins' Australia in the World Test Championship 2023 Final which is to be played at the Oval starting from June 7, 2023. Before this, India and Australia locked horns in the Border-Gavaskar series where Rohit Sharma's defiant team India outclassed the Aussies by a margin of 2-1. The Aussies will certainly want to balance things out and beat India in the WTC 2023 final to get their hands on the coveted Test mace. 

Unlike the last time, there is an even contest at hand. Last time New Zealand played a two-match Test series against England before locking horns with India. They were acclimatized to the conditions as compared to India, but this time around, the scenario will be different with both teams playing the Final straightaway. Before the marquee final gets underway. Here's a look at five key battles that will decide the fate of both these teams.

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1. Rohit Sharma vs David Warner

The fate of the WTC 2023 Final will depend a lot on how the openers deliver for both teams. As far as the performance of openers goes in the 2021-23 cycle, they have averaged only 28.06 in 11 matches, which speaks a lot about the woes of top-order batters. David Warner is a southpaw and there are no qualms about it, but as far as his record in England goes, it has been pretty dismal. The left-handed opener has managed to score only 651 runs from 13 Test matches at an average of 26.04. Rohit on the other hand, has played 6 matches and has scored 466 runs at an average of 42.36. At the moment, Rohit is winning this battle and his batting will be crucial to India's chances.

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2. Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith

This is the mother of all battles. Two greats of our generation will try and stamp their authority on the game and at the grandest stage of them all. There are loads of comparisons between both these stalwarts and they will be plenty of eyeballs about how they go about their business. Kohli, in 16 matches and 31innings has amassed a total of 1033 runs and averages 33.32. However, his last century in English conditions came in 2018. Steve Smith on the other hand has played 3 matches at the Kennington Oval and has scored 391 runs at an average of 97.75. Smith certainly has the upper hand and India will have to find a way and restrict him to win the Test mace.

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3. Cheteswar Pujara vs Marnus Labuschagne

As far as Test matches are concerned, the batsman coming out at number 3 always holds the key to how an inning will pan out. Both Australia and India are fortunate enough to have Marnus Labuschagne and Cheteshwar Pujara on their side. Batsmen who are technically solid and have the impeccable capability to build innings. Labuschagne has only played 4 matches in English conditions, averaging 50.42. On the other hand, Pujara, who bats on the same number averages 29.60 from 15 matches and has made 829 runs so far in English conditions. Pujara has played a lot of county cricket for Sussex lately and he has to better his numbers if India needs to outplay the Aussies.

WTC 2023 Final: Full squads of India and Australia

Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

Reserves: Mitch Marsh, Matt Renshaw

India: 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