Exploring The Ashes To Come: Live Updates And Scorecard Of Day 1 Of WTC Final 2023 Australia vs India

World Test Championship Final: India Versus Australia

Battle of the Giants

The 2023 World Test Championship final between World No. 1 India and World No.2 Australia is about to take place at The Oval, London. A five-day battle of attrition will take place starting on Wednesday, as the two teams set their eyes on winning the WTC mace and claiming the Test crown for the first time ever. The two teams had previously faced off in India earlier this year in a four-match series, where the home team emerged victorious with a score of 2-1. India has also beaten Australia four times in a row in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Although the fate of the past Border-Gavaskar battles is uncertain, Australia goes into the clash at The Oval as slight favorites owing to their pace-bowling attack and the significant advantage of already acclimatizing to the English conditions by playing the County Championship. India’s spinners, who dominated the Australian batters in India, might not have the edge this time around, and with injury troubles for key players like Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul, the match could swing in the favor of the Australian team.

India’s Fighting Chance

Despite being the underdogs, India can’t be written off. Even with most of the Indian team coming into red-ball cricket after an intense IPL season, they remain a force to be reckoned with, especially Virat Kohli, who has been in great form lately. The two teams have always been up for a Test cricket showdown, and their upcoming WTC final should be no different. A Test classic might be on the cards, and every cricket lover is excited to witness this battle of the giants.

The Final XI

India and Australia have named their respective XI for the final. It seems like India might play with four seamers in Shami, Siraj, Umesh Yadav, and Shardul Thakur, as indicated by Rohit Sharma’s remarks. However, their ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin might miss out. In contrast, Australia has named its pretty much expected bowling attack following the withdrawal of Josh Hazlewood due to an Achilles issue. Pat Cummins’s men will have cult hero Scott Boland in the bowling attack, who got the nod over Queensland all-rounder Michael Neser. David Warner has retained his spot at the top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja, and Cameron Green slots into the middle-order alongside Travis Head. Alex Carey will take up the wicket-keeping duties, and Nathan Lyon will be the sole spinner.

Final Shot at Glory

The 2023 WTC final might be the last chance for several stalwarts to win Test cricket’s ultimate crown. Many players, such as Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Starc of Australia, and R Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma of India, are over 33 years of age. It’s uncertain whether they will get another chance to win the WTC title. Therefore, the stakes are high, and the players will give it their all.

Where to Watch

The Australia vs. India WTC Final 2023 is one of the most anticipated cricket battles of the year and will be broadcast worldwide. In India, Star Sports will broadcast it in several languages, including Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 3, Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports Select 1 HD, and Star Sports HD1. The WTC Final will be broadcast in Australia via the free-to-air Channel Seven, while in the UK, Sky Sports will telecast the WTC Final live. Live streaming will be provided on a subscription basis, exclusively through the Disney+ Hotstar app across several platforms in India. In Australia, live streaming of the WTC Final will be through 7Plus, and in the UK, SkyGo and Now will provide live streaming of the event.

Tips, Predictions, and Odds

The WTC Final 2023 between Australia vs. India is too close to call. Dafabet (India), who is currently offering odds of 1.95 for an Australia win, 2.72 for an India win, and 5.60 for a draw, is making a big push for Indian bettors. Ladbrokes (Australia) is providing odds of 1.80 for Australia to win, 2.88 for India to win, and 5.50 for a draw. Fans eagerly anticipate a thrilling contest, and who will ultimately emerge victorious is up for debate.