3 Indians who featured in the Australia Tests but may not play in the WTC final
With a fourth consecutive Test series win over Australia, India have retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by a 2-1 margin, also qualifying for the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) in the process.
Rohit Sharma and Co. won the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match rubber and retain the trophy as a result. Australia pulled one back in Indore before the fourth contest in Ahmedabad petered out into a dull draw.
With the two teams in question qualifying for the WTC final, they will now battle it out for the coveted prize at The Oval in London on June 7.
India had a number of key contributors throughout the series against Australia but some of them might miss the cut when they name their playing XI for the final.
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Here, we look at three members who took part in the Test series against Australia but may not feature in the WTC final.
#1 Axar Patel
Axar Patel was undoubtedly India's best batter throughout the course of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
With 264 runs at an average of 88, his crucial half-centuries were instrumental in bailing the hosts out of trouble, even though he didn't have much of a say with the ball.
With Ravindra Jadeja fit and firing again, though, it's hard to see Axar playing in the WTC final against Australia. The Gujarat all-rounder is yet to play a Test outside the sub-continent, with the presence of Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin confining him to the bench.
Despite his batting upswing, he doesn't seem like a sure starter in the playing XI for the WTC final unless a desperate scenario arises.
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin
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The joint winner of the Player of the Series award against Australia, Ravichandran Ashwin too may not start in India's XI for the WTC final. After all, his absence from the team's plans the last time they toured England is a decent enough indicator of the same.
Mind you, this has nothing to do with Ashwin's skills, but simply owing to the fact that the team has preferred to play four seamers in England, with Shardul Thakur extending the length of the batting lineup.
With Jadeja batting in the top six, he will don the spinner's role and unless the track at The Oval shows a dry nature to it, there is a good chance that Ashwin may, unfortunately, find himself missing out again.
#3 KL Rahul
KL Rahul's Test career has hit another roadblock, having been stripped of vice-captaincy and dropped from the playing XI altogether halfway through the series against Australia.
It was in England that he redeemed himself in the longest format, showing incredible application and scoring runs against the moving ball in 2021. His failure to score runs consistently, plus Shubman Gill knocking hard on the door, has forced him out of the Indian XI.
With Gill racking up a century in Ahmedabad, it looks pretty clear that he will open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma in the WTC final.
Rahul does have an outside chance of making it with question marks lingering over Shreyas Iyer's fitness. If the latter is deemed fit, however, it is hard to see the Karnataka opener feature in the playing XI.
Which of these players do you think must start in the WTC final when India play Australia in June? Let us know in the comments section below!
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