IND vs AUS, WTC 2023 Final: Ravi Shastri, Ricky Ponting, Wasim Akram and others predict summit encounter winner

The stage is set for the thrilling final of the World Test Championship (WTC) between India And Australia at London’s iconic Kennington Oval, starting June 7. Team India finished second and will try to end the trophy drought and win the WTC final this time. In the first season they faced an 8-wicket defeat to Kane Williamson-led New Zealand.

Australia, who missed out on the chance to make it to the final last year, will also aim to add another ICC Trophy to their illustrious cabinet. Explosive opener Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team, while the Aussies will be led by Pat Cummins.

Ahead of the epic top clash, cricketing legends like Ricky Ponting, Wasim Akram, Ravi Shastri, Ross Taylor and Ian Bell have revealed their analysis and recorded their predictions about the winner of the 2021-23 WTC Final.

In a video shared by Star Sports, these iconic figures of the captivating sport made their picks and gave reasons while reviewing India and Australia’s team combinations and other factors.

Ravi Shastri – Early momentum gives an advantage

Shastri didn’t pick a team right away, counting that early momentum in the game would be key when play gets underway on Wednesday. Shastri believed that Aussie skipper Pat Cummins and India Pacer Mohammad Shami would be the protagonists in the summit clash.

“When I see the current form, both teams have not played the longer duration of the game for quite some time. India has played a lot of T20 cricket, Australia on the other hand – apart from (Steve) Smith and (Marnus) Labuschagne who played a bit of country cricket – haven’t played for a long time. I think the first blow on the first day will count. I think Pat Cummins will be charged for Australia, and I think Mohammed Shami for India (will be key),” said Shastri.

Ricky Ponting – Australia is simply a favourite

Ponting chose Australia as the favourite. He believed that the selection challenges in India and the difficult English conditions put Rohit Sharma’s team at a slight disadvantage against the Aussies.

“Australia are just favourites. India have a few little uncertain areas in their team I think in terms of selection and injuries. I think Australia will be a lot more settled and then when you also think about the conditions here, these conditions seem from early June probably more on Australian than Indian conditions,” Ponting said.

Wasim Akram – Australia are minor favourites

Akram felt that the oval track typically favors subcontinental teams around August. However, he noted that conditions were different in June and would work in favor of Australia’s attack, giving them a slight advantage.

“This field usually favors teams from the subcontinent, but every time we toured here…we played our last test match here at the end of August or the first week of September. But this happens in the first week of June, so the square is different and the ball is all different as a Dukes. So I think Australia is a bit of a favorite to get into this test match,” claimed Akram.

Ross Taylor – In favor of Australia

Taylor, who pulverized the winning points as the Black Caps beat India in the 2021 WTC final, thought the coin toss would be the deciding factor in the summit clash. He believed that India would surely miss Jasprit Bumrah and that Australia, with more playing experience here, would be the favourites.

“Whoever wins the toss it will be interesting to see how much grass they leave on the wicket. Losing Bumrah is a huge loss for India. So I think the coin toss will play a role, but the early prediction I would say is a little bit in favor of Australia, probably because of the injuries India has, but also because of the experience Australia has playing here. said Taylor.

Ian Bell – Battle units are the ones to keep an eye on

Bell, the former England cricketer, felt that the batting department would have a huge impact and make the difference in the mega showdown.

“It will be fascinating to see how both teams tackle it. We know there are two world class bowling attacks going at each other, it’s all about how many runs you can score. That’s the problem in England: if you can get big, you can put a lot of pressure on people at the back. So I think the batting units are the ones to watch,” said Bel.