The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the 15-member squads and reserve players for both India and Australia ahead of the highly anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 Final. The match is set to take place at The Oval from June 7-11.
In a notable inclusion, uncapped left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has been named as a stand-by player for India. Jaiswal's impressive form in the IPL 2023, where he scored 625 runs for the Rajasthan Royals, including a century and five fifties, earned him the spot. He replaces Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is reportedly tying the knot in early June.
Jaiswal's domestic performances in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy also contributed to his selection. His aggregate of 357 runs in the Irani Trophy, with scores of 213 and 144, set a record for the most runs by a batter in an Irani Trophy match.
Despite suffering injuries during the IPL, fast bowlers Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat have been confirmed to be part of India's 15-member squad. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who encountered an accidental collision in a recent match, has also made the cut.
In Australia's squad, pacer Josh Hazlewood has been deemed fit for the final despite returning early from the IPL due to a minor side niggle. Fast-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and left-handed batter Matthew Renshaw have been named as the reserve players.
The ICC emphasized that any changes to the squads can now only be made with the approval of the Event Technical Committee, as the support period for team changes has commenced. Additionally, the WTC Final has a reserve day on June 12 to account for any potential loss of play during the scheduled five days.
The World Test Championship was introduced in 2019 to provide context to Test cricket. New Zealand emerged as the champions in the inaugural edition, defeating India by eight wickets in the final held in Southampton in 2021. This year, the winners of the WTC Final will receive a prize purse of 1.6 million dollars, while the runners-up will be awarded 800,000 dollars.
WTC Final squads:
Australia:
Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.
Reserves: Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Renshaw
India:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, KS Bharat, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Umesh Yadav.
Reserves: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav