Watch World Test Championship final live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Wednesday (10.30am first ball); India - a side that "worship" Test cricket - looking to win first ICC event in a decade against an Australia side who will face England in The Ashes from June 16
Wednesday 7 June 2023 10:26, UK
Australia will be hoping to lift two trophies aloft at The Kia Oval this summer - the Ashes urn in July and the World Test Championship mace this week.
Pat Cummins' side begin their series with England at Edgbaston on Friday June 16 but from this Wednesday their opponents are India as the top two in the Test rankings collide in south London, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event.
The game is scheduled to run until Sunday, although a reserve day is available on Monday in the event of bad weather. Should the match be drawn, Australia and India will share the trophy.
Australia finished top of the league phase in the World Test Championship after winning 11 of their 19 matches, with India second after triumphing in 10 of their 18.
However, India sit at the top of the Test rankings with the team's former coach Ravi Shastri saying: "The players love [this format] which for me was so heartening when I was coach.
"They literally worship Test match cricket. No one promoted Test cricket more than Virat Kohli, he wanted Test cricket at any cost, and was one of the best ambassadors of the game."
India have not won an ICC event since the Champions Trophy in England in 2013, with Australia's previous victory in a global tournament coming at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Australia captain Cummins said: "It's a final, it's exciting, it's a high-pressure moment, so I think it's a worthy winner whoever wins.
"I think we've been brewing over the last two years so it would be pretty satisfying winning the final. It feel it would be richly deserved."
Scott Boland will play for Australia at The Kia Oval, with fellow seamer Josh Hazlewood out of the match due to Achilles and side problems.
Boland, 34, made a stunning introduction to international cricket during the 2021-22 Ashes series, taking 6-7 in the Boxing Day Test against England in Melbourne, while his Test record now stands at 28 wickets in seven games at an average of 13.42.
Cummins said of Boland: "For someone like Scotty, it's just a really simple game-plan - you hit your good areas, you stay there all day and hopefully the ball will do the work for you. He's had a few bowls over here now and has looked good."
Australia XI for World Test Championship final against India: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
India captain Rohit Sharma says he will wait until the morning of the game to decide the final make up of his team due to uncertainty about pitch conditions in south London.
Rohit's men are looking to go one better than in the 2021 World Test Championship final when they lost to New Zealand by six wickets at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
The skipper said: "We know exactly what went wrong for us in the last (World Test) Championship final.
"Hopefully we will not repeat those kind of things. That is all you want to do as as a sportsman, you don't want to repeat mistakes.
"We know what is at stake and we need to focus on that. Whoever uses the conditions really well will probably win the game."
India are without seamer Jasprit Bumrah (back) and opener KL Rahul (leg), while wicketkeeper Risbabh Pant remains on the sidelines following injuries sustained in a serious car crash in December.
Watch the World Test Championship final between Australia and India live on Sky Sports Cricket from Wednesday. Build-up begins at 10am ahead of the first ball at 10.30am.
Then watch The Ashes live on Sky Sports Cricket across June and July. The opening Test starts on Friday June 16, with build-up from 9.30am ahead of the first ball at 11am.
