The Ultimate Test of Skills: India's challenging encounter with Australia in WTC Final 2023

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The Oval stadium in London will witness two heavyweights of Test cricket colliding in the upcoming World Test Championship Final which starts from June 7.

India and Australia will be locking horns in the Final by virtue of their top-ranked finishes in this World Test Championship cycle. Australia made giant strides from their poor outing in the previous WTC cycle, whereas India finished in the top two again.

As team India take on the mighty Aussies in neutral territory, it quite clearly will be a daunting task for them. The two sides will be eyeing an ICC trophy, more so for India, who last won an ICC trophy back in 2013.

And it will be an ultimate test of skills for the Indian side, who aim to bring the ICC Test Mace home.

India have to deal with the English unpredictability

Despite their recent success against Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Rohit Sharma and his men will have to be at their best to yield a positive result. The unfamiliar and sometimes unpredictable English conditions will provide a big challenge.

The weather in London is predicted to be partly cloudy on those match days, but we may see occasional thunderstorms or overcast conditions. The Indian team will have to be prepared for that and they will have to adapt to the conditions.

The Long List of Injuries for India

India's lengthy injury list has significantly weakened them. The injuries of Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant will be a big blow, whereas Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul's absences are also massive blows.

But the biggest concern will be wicketkeeping. Due to Pant's absence, India won't just miss a premier batter, but the best keeper in the country. Wriddhiman Saha was not included in the squad, hence it will be a monumental test for KS Bharat or Ishan Kishan, whoever plays. The duo have never played any senior cricket in England and will have to be at their best.

A test of skill for Indian batting unit

English conditions and Australian pace attack - can be a deadly combination for India. We saw how the Indian side crumbled against New Zealand in the previous WTC Final in 2021, and the Indian batters will have to avert that.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Cheteswhar Pujara are going to be India's batting pillars and the trio, having experience with English conditions, will have to play a crucial part. It promises to be an intriguing duel between India's batters and Australia's pace attack - and the winner of that battle may end up winning the mace.