WTC Final 2023: 'Only time will tell' - Rohit Sharma smirks at Ricky Ponting's prediction ahead of Oval clash

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WTC Final 2023: Reacting to the prediction made by Ricky Ponting on the condition at The Oval in London favouring Australia more, India captain Rohit Sharma smirked before asserting that "only time will tell which team used it well".

Rohit was asked about his reaction in the pre-match press conference ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2023 which starts from Wednesday, June 7 against Australia - the number two ranked Test team in the world.

"That's his point of view. He's allowed to give his opinion. Only time will tell which team has used the conditions really well. You know, the people who are watching the game, the experts, they'll have their opinion, they'll talk a lot of things before the start of a championship like that, a build-up to the championship," Rohit said.

Ricky Ponting at an event in Delhi last month had reckoned that conditions at the Kennington Oval will be more suited to Australia. He also added that Australia would enter the match fresher than their Indian counterparts who featured in the IPL 2023 for two months before arriving in London a week before the summit clash.

“Australia is slight favourites. The conditions are more suited to Australia as compared to India. These two teams have beaten more opposition than they have lost to. They deserved to finish first and second.

"Australia has not played cricket as of late. On the other side, almost all Indian players have played extremely competitive cricket in IPL. One side comes into this match as fresh, while the other side is tired. A lot of such factors would affect the match,” Ponting had said.

India defeated England by 157 runs in their last match at the venue in 2021. Australia, on the other hand, played their last match at The Oval in London in 2019. They were handed a 135-run defeat by hosts England.