Last Update: June 01, 2023, 09:53 AM IST
Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin are part of India’s WTC final team. (AFP photo)
India will be hoping to win the ICC World Test Championship after qualifying for the final for the second time in a row
The two finalists of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23, India and Australia, are gearing up for the final of the cycle, which will be held at The Oval in London from June 7. The top-two teams in the WTC standings feature some of the best red-ball cricketers to have played the game.
After Ravi Shastri and Ricky Ponting, former England captain Nasser Hussain has also revealed his combined India-Australia playing XI with a major change.
Both Shastri and Ponting picked a similar XI, but Hussain made a few changes to his team, including off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of the spin of left-arm Ravindra Jadeja.
Hussain explains that circumstances dictated his choice. “Had the World Test Championship final been in the subcontinent or India, I would have taken Jadeja at six. But I’m not, because it’s in England,” Hussain told icc review,
As was the case with Shastri and Ponting, the Englishman has also chosen Rohit Sharma as his captain over his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins.
“Rohit Sharma, very handy, top order and captain for me. I like Rohit’s style of captaincy. I would like to include Shubman (Gill) but I think it is too early for him to make it into my combined XI, so I am going with Usman Khawaja to open the batting.”
“Then in a very easy bit, three of the all-time world greats in (Marnus) Labuschagne, (Steve) Smith and (Virat) Kohli come on three, four, five,” he said.
With Ashwin coming in as an offie, Nathan Lyon didn’t find a place in Nasser’s XI and all-rounder Cameron Green also got the nod.
“I am going for a bowling all-rounder, seam-bowler in Cameron Green. That’s what I want as my allrounder. My spin bowler will be Ravi Ashwin at number eight. And he obviously bats very well at No.8,” Nasser said.
“(Pat) Cummins on nine, easy option. (Mitchell) Starc at No. 10 to give me the left-arm variation. Mohammed Shami, just because we can go down so many replays of his seam position. Had Jasprit (Bumrah) not been injured, I would have definitely been there, but he is like that so I am taking Shami at 11.”
Nasser Hussain’s combined India-Australia Test XI: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (Wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Mohammed Shami.
