How Rohit Sharma's Team India Reached Final Of World Test Championship 2023 Vs Australia? - In Pics

India travelled to the UK with one of its strongest teams in years, with their best chance to defeat England in their home territory. The first Test ended in a washout due to rain. India could have taken a lead of 1-0 as due to performances by Jasprit Bumrah (4/46 and 5/64), KL Rahul (84), Ravindra Jadeja (56) put India in a strong position, leaving them with 209 runs to chase before rain interrupted the play.  In the second Test, India clinched a massive 151-run win at The Lord's powered by KL Rahul's 129 and Mohammed Siraj's (4/94 and 4/32). India took a 1-0 lead in the series.  However, England bounced back in style to clinch a win by an inning and 76 runs, with Joe Root (121) and Ollie Robinson (2/16 and 5/65) being key architects of the win which levelled the series.

India got a moment to rejoice in the fourth Test, winning it by 157 runs thanks to performances from Rohit Sharma (127), who got his first overseas ton and superb spells from Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Jadeja. India led the series 2-1. The series was put on hold due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The final Test was played in July 2022. Despite centuries from Rishabh Pant (146) and Ravindra Jadeja, England chased down bulk of 378-run target thanks to centuries from Joe Root (142*) and Jonny Bairstow (114*). England levelled the series 2-2.

In the first Test, India won by 113 runs, with KL Rahul (123 and 23) and Mohammed Shami (5/44 and 3/50) standing out with their performances. However, Keegan Petersen (62 and 28 in second Test, 72 and 82 in the final Test), Marco Jansen (4/31 and 3/67 in second Test, 3/55 and 4/36 in the final Test) revived South Africa's fortunes, guiding them to a 2-1 series win.  

The Australian challenge arrived at India as India's final obstacle towards the WTC final. In the first Test, an all-round show by Ravindra Jadeja (70 and seven wickets), century by Rohit Sharma (120) helped India win by an innings and 132 runs. In the second Test, half-century by Axar Patel (74) and yet another all-round masterclass by Jadeja (26 and 10 wickets including a spell of 7/62) helped India win by six-wickets. Jadeja's seven-wicket haul crumbled the Aussies to just 113 runs while following on, leaving India to chase 115 runs.

India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 2-0 lead.  A spin exhibition by legendary Nathan Lyon (3/35 and 8/64) helped Australia win a low-scoring third Test by nine wickets to stay alive in the series. The scoreline was 2-1.  In the final Test, Virat Kohli (186) outclassed Usman Khawaja (180) and Cameron Green (114) in a high-scoring match, which ended in a draw. India won the series 2-1.

Sri Lanka toured India to play two Tests back in March last year. In the first Test, Jadeja's all-round effort of 175* and (5/41 and 4/46) guided India to an innings win by 222 runs. In the second Test, the fifties by Shreyas Iyer (92 and 67) and Jasprit Bumrah (5/24 and 3/23) helped India clinch a 238-run win to win the series 2-0.

After a white-ball series, India also played two Tests against Bangladesh. In the first Test, all-round show by Kuldeep Yadav (40 runs and eight wickets including a five-wicket haul) and centuries from Shubman Gill (110) and Cheteshwar Pujara (102 and 90) guided India to a 188-run win. India clean sweeped the series effortlessly with another all-round performance with Rishabh Pant (93), Ravichandran Ashwin (42* and six wickets, including a four-wicket haul) and Shreyas Iyer (86 and 29*) being the best performers.

India played two Tests against New Zealand at home. The first Test ended in a draw with Shreyas Iyer (105 and 65) being a standout performer. The match ended before NZ could chase the target of 284 runs. In the second Test, India registered a win by massive 372 runs. Mayank Agarwal (150 and 62) and Ravichandran Ashwin (4/8 and 4/34) were best performers for India.