ICC WTC final: India's updated squad announced

Rohit Sharma-led India will play the ICC WTC final against Australia starting 7th June, 2023 at The Oval, London.

The ICC World Test Championship final will be played between Australia and India at The Oval in London from June 7 to 11 (12th being the reserve day). Australia qualified for this match after finishing as a number one ranked team on the ICC WTC 2021-23 points table while India defeated Australia 2-1 in the recently held Border Gavaskar trophy at home.

While this will be Australia's first appearance in the ICC World Test Championship final, India will be playing their second consecutive final of the ICC World Test Championship. They last played in the final of the WTC in 2021 against New Zealand at the Southampton ground in England and lost to the Kiwis in the summit clash.

Australia have already announced their 15 men's squad for the summit clash against India which will be captained by Pat Cummins.

On the other hand, while the BCCI announced the Indian squad for the WTC 2023 final sometime back, they have been heard by injuries to multiple first-choice players.  The likes of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah were already ruled out of the match due to their respective injuries.

However, the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023 has given an added headache to the BCCI as multiple players have been dealing with many injuries. Opener and wicket-keeping option KL Rahul has already been ruled out of the match after suffering a thigh injury.

Jaydev Unadkat injured his shoulder and Umesh Yadav is suffering from a hamstring injury. In its official release, the Indian board provided an update on the injury status of fast bowlers – Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav.

“Jaydev Unadkat sustained a left shoulder injury by tripping over the side rope while bowling in the nets. A specialist consultation has been sought and the left-arm fast bowler is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru undergoing strength and rehab sessions for his shoulder. A decision on his participation in the WTC final will be taken at a later stage,” the statement read.

“Umesh Yadav sustained a minor left hamstring injury during Match 36 of TATA IPL 2023 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 26 April. The fast bowler is currently under the care of the KKR Medical Team and has started low-intensity bowling as part of his rehab process. The BCCI Medical Team is in regular touch with KKR Medical Team and is closely monitoring Umesh’s progress,” it added.

Ishan Kishan named KL Rahul’s replacement in Indian squad for WTC final

On Monday, the BCCI announced an update to the Indian squad and named Ishan Kishan as KL Rahul’s replacement. Rahul sustained the injury during LSG’s IPL 2023 clash against RCB earlier this month. He was chasing the ball to stop it from going towards the boundary before pulling up.

“KL Rahul suffered an injury to his right upper thigh while fielding during Match 43rd of TATA IPL 2023 between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 1st May. After consultations with specialists, it has been decided that Rahul will undergo surgery at the earliest followed by rehab at the National Cricket Academy for the same. He is ruled out of the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia,” BCCI said in a statement.

https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1655537343108091904

The BCCI also named Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, and Suryakumar Yadav as standby players for the WTC final, slated to be held at the Oval in London from June 7 to 11.

India’s squad for ICC WTC final:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).

Standby players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.