3 reasons why India are favorites to win WTC final 2023 against Australia
India will take on Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Kennington Oval in London from June 7 to 11. The Aussies finished on top of the WTC 2021-23 points table with 152 points, while India ended second with 127 points.
The two teams locked horns in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The hosts won the four-match series by a 2-1 margin and with it also confirmed their berth in the final of the WTC for the second consecutive time. They made it to the summit clash of the inaugural edition in 2021 as well but went down to New Zealand by eight wickets in Southampton.
Considering that the conditions in England are likely to suit Australia more than India, several critics have termed the Aussies favorites to win the mega clash.
However, we analyze three reasons that make India favorites to win the WTC final.
#1 Indian batters’ strong showing against Aussie pacers
Australian skipper Pat Cummins and left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc are undoubtedly two of the best fast bowlers in business in the current era, particularly in the Test format. They have excelled against some of the best batting attacks of modern times.
India, though, have been among the few teams who have managed to thwart the dominance of Australia’s famed pace duo. This is one of the prime reasons why they have managed to win back-to-back Test series’ Down Under.
Starc has a surprisingly poor Test record against India. In 17 matches, he has picked up 44 wickets at an average of 38.68, with a best of 4/53. He claimed 13 wickets in four Tests during the 2018/19 home series and 11 when India returned in 2020/21. Even during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India earlier this year, he managed only two scalps in two Tests.
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Cummins has a much better Test record against India compared to Starc. In 12 Tests, he has claimed 46 wickets at an average of 25.45. However, the numbers are still below his overall average.
Significantly, he has only one five-wicket haul to show for his efforts against India. Barring the 2020-21 series, when he picked up 21 wickets, he hasn’t been exceptional by any standards.
#2 Shubman Gill’s form
Opener Shubman Gill’s stupendous form across formats in the last year should give India the edge, provided he manages to carry on his great run with the willow.
The 23-year-old was the leading run-getter in the recently concluded IPL 2023. He smashed 890 runs in 17 matches at an average of 59.33, with three hundreds and four fifties. At times, he looked invincible out in the middle.
Gill has tasted success against Australia before. During his debut Test series Down Under in 2020-21, he contributed 259 runs in three Tests at an average of 51.80, which included the famous 91 in the iconic triumph at The Gabba. Post that series, Gill went off the boil but has rejuvenated his international career in astonishing fashion.
Looking at his international record since the start of 2023, Gill has smashed 154 runs in two Tests at an average of 51.33. In ODIs, he has notched up 624 runs in nine matches, averaging 78, while in T20Is, he has scored 202 runs in six games at an average of 40.40.
The opener has crossed three figures in all three formats of the game since the start of 2023. He will be confident of coming up with another big effort in the WTC final against Australia.
#3 Their impressive recent record against Australia
Team India will have the psychological edge over Australia heading into the World Test Championship final. They have won the last four Border-Gavaskar Trophy contests - two in India (2016-17 and 2022-23) and two in Australia (2018-19 and 2020-21).
A lot of cricket pundits raised questions over India’s maiden Test series triumph Down Under in 2018-19 since the hosts were without Steve Smith and David Warner, who were serving ball-tampering bans.
However, India returned in 2020-21 to shut the critics. They registered a come-from-behind series win after the Adelaide disaster, a triumph Rohit Sharma has described as the best away from home in recent times.
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Although India’s most recent win over the Aussies came at home, they would take the confidence of the series victory into the WTC final.
While it is fair to say that history would not matter a lot in a one-off Test, India’s consistently impressive performances against the Aussies, both at home and away, should give them the upper hand.