Sunil Gavaskar Picks India’s Playing XI For WTC Final — No Place For Ishan Kishan

The composition of the final playing XI for both India and Australia will hinge upon the weather, even though both teams boast strong squads.

The highly anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia is scheduled to commence at The Oval on Wednesday. In recent times, India has been the more dominant team, achieving success both in home as well as away conditions, which sets the stage perfectly for this one-off clash. Earlier this year, they engaged in a closely contested Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, with India emerging victorious in the first two out of the four matches.

The WTC final adds a new chapter to their storied rivalry, as the evenly matched teams aim to solidify their position as the world's best Test side. While both teams have assembled well-balanced squads for the ultimate showdown, the selection of the final eleven remains intriguing.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has shared his India playing XI. Interestingly, Gavaskar opted for KS Bharat as the wicket-keeper ahead of Ishan Kishan and also went in with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

"For the batting, I would have Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as the opening pair. Cheteshwar Pujara at number three, Virat Kohli at number four, and Ajinkya Rahane at number five,” Gavaskar said.

Gavaskar also emphasized that he would give KS Bharat the role of the wicket-keeper since he has displayed consistency at the number six position.

“At number seven, we have Ravindra Jadeja. If the conditions are favourable, Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin can bat at numbers seven and eight, respectively,” Gavaskar further added. 

In the fast bowling department, it is expected that Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and possibly all-rounder Shardul Thakur will take charge.

"For numbers nine, ten, and eleven, we have Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and maybe Shardul Thakur," Gavaskar concluded.

The conditions at the Oval is expected to assist the batters, but if the clouds roll over, the seamers too could come into the picture.

Here is Sunil Gavaskar’s preferred India playing XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur