[WATCH] Team India undergo intense fielding drills ahead of WTC final
Team India have kicked off their preparation for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. Rohit Sharma and Co. will square off against Australia in the all-important summit clash at the Oval from June 7 onwards.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently shared a video where the cricketers were seen participating in a catching session under the watchful eyes of fielding coach T Dilip.
The Indian players were divided into two groups, with one focusing on high catches, while the other was seen practicing taking close-in catches.
"Energy levels high 💪 Upping the intensity with each session ahead of #WTC23 🙌 #TeamIndia," the BCCI captioned the video.
This will be India's second WTC final appearance in as many seasons. They made it to the final of the 2019-2021 edition but lost to New Zealand by eight wickets in Southampton. The Men in Blue will be desperate to go all the way and lift the title this time around.
Meanwhile, this will be Australia's first WTC final appearance. Pat Cummins and Co. have played some excellent cricket throughout this cycle and will look to transform it into a trophy.
"Ominous warning for the Australians going into a one-off game" - Ricky Ponting feels Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara's form key to India's success
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels India's batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara hold the key in the upcoming WTC final.
Pujara has had a scintillating outing in the County Championship for Sussex. The right-handed batter has amassed 545 runs in eight innings with the help of three centuries.
Kohli, on the other hand, is coming into the contest on the back of a superlative IPL 2023 campaign. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star finished the season as the fourth-highest run-scorer with 639 runs in 14 matches, including two tons and six fifties.
“The Australian team will be talking about Virat, no doubt about it, and they'll be talking about Pujara. They're the two,” Ponting said on The ICC Review. "Pujara has been a thorn in their side a lot in the past, and in Australia, and this wicket will potentially be a lot more like an Australian pitch. They know that they'll have to get him early."
“They also know that Virat over the last few weeks is probably just about back to his absolute best, albeit in T20 cricket," he added. “He told me that the feeling he's getting right now is that he's almost back to his best, and that's an ominous warning for the Australians going into a one-off game.”
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