WTC 2023 Final: 5 records that can be broken as India take on Australia
The stage is set for Team India to collide with Australia for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2021-23. The much-awaited fixture is scheduled to be played at the Kennington Oval in London from June 7-11.
The Indian team produced phenomenal performances in WTC 2021-23 cycle by winning the Test series against New Zealand (1-0), Sri Lanka (2-0), Bangladesh (2-0), and Australia (2-1) and the only series they lost was against South Africa in 2021/22.
Who will come out on top in the WTC final at Oval?
📸: BCCI
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Australia completely dominated every team in WTC 2021-23 cycle, except India. The Pat Cummins-led side defeated England (4-0), Pakistan (1-0), West Indies (2-0), and South Africa (2-0) to reach the final stage. They also leveled the Test series against Sri Lanka by a 1-1 margin.
The upcoming clash between India and Australia will be a historic one as by the end of the Test, we will know the winners of the second WTC Final. The team who wins the mace will also become the first ever side to win all four major ICC Trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy).
The much-awaited encounter also offers both teams to break multiple records. On that note, let's take a look at the top five milestones that could be reached during the WTC Final (2021-23) between India and Australia.
#5 Rohit Sharma will become the oldest player to captain India in a major ICC tournament Final
Rohit Sharma will be adamant of bringing India a major ICC trophy after a long gap of 10 years. He will look to lead from the front in what will be his first final as a skipper for India in any ICC tournament.
Moreover, at the age of 36 years and 38 days old, Rohit will also become the oldest player to captain India in any major ICC tournament Final.
Rohit Sharma aims high with his desire as captain! 💪🇮🇳
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Previously, Mithali Raj held the record when she skippered India in the ICC Women's World Cup 2017 Final at the age of 34 years and 232 days old.
#4 David Warner could become Australia's fourth-highest run-getter in international cricket
David Warner, who has been a warrior up front for Australia for over a decade, has been a consistent run-getter.
Regardless of the format, the left-hander has piled up runs in an attacking fashion. Across 426 international innings for Australia, Warner has scored 17,082 runs and is the fight-highest run-getter in the Australian history.
Warner needs just 31 more runs surpass Michael Clarke in International cricket for Australia and become the fourth-highest in the tally. Clarke, who played 449 innings, mustered 17,112 runs during his career.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin could bag his 700th international wicket
One of India's finest red-ball bowlers ever, Ravichandran Ashwin is on the brink of achieving a major landmark in the upcoming Test against Australia.
With 697 wickets across just 347 innings in his international career, Ashwin is only three wickets shy of completing 700 scalps for India.
Some headshots ahead of the Ultimate Test 🤩
📸: BCCI & ICC
(2/2)
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If India goes on to play Ashwin and the 36-year old manages to get those three wickets, he will become only the third indian after Anil Kumble (953) and Harbhajan Singh (707) to get over 700 international wickets.
So far, Ashwin has bagged 474 wickets in Tests, 151 in ODIs and 72 in T20Is.
#2 Virat Kohli could become only the second player to score 5,000 international runs vs Australia
Australia have been Virat Kohli's favourite hunting team. The modern-day master has dominated the Aussie attack over the years and has done well against them in all three formats.
Virat Kohli bounces back in style after the Asia Cup 2022! 🔥
How many runs do you think he'll score in the upcoming WTC final? 🤔
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Across 107 innings, Kohli has accumulated 4,945 runs at an average of 50.9 against Australia. Another 55 runs will make him only the second-ever player to amass 5,000 international runs against Australia.
Only Sachin Tendulkar (6,707) scored more runs against Australia than Kohli.
#1 Rohit Sharma could become India's all-time fifth-highest run-getter in international cricket
From one modern-day legend to another, Rohit Sharma could also script history in the upcoming Test. The Indian captain, who made his India debut 16 years ago, has racked up quite a few runs during his career.
Across 459 innings in his career, Rohit has mustered 17,057 runs at an average of 42.74. He is currently India's sixth-highest run-getter, but could well enter the top-five list in the WTC Final.
Former India captain, MS Dhoni, who scored 17,092 runs during his career, is currently the fifth-highest run-getter in the Indian history. Rohit needs only 36 more runs to eclipse Dhoni's tally.