Author: WebDesk

India won the toss and opted to bowl in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval, on Wednesday (June 7). At the toss, Pat Cummins, the Australia skipper, said that he too would have bowled first. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian side has gone in with four seamers – Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur. Ravindra Jadeja is the lone spinner in the side, while R Ashwin has been left out. KS Bharat will don the gloves. On the other hand, Australia had already announced their XI, with Scott Boland playing ahead of Josh…

Vaibhav Tripathi Moeen Ali, the spin-bowling all-rounder, has been chosen as a replacement for the injured Jack Leach in the England Men’s Test squad for the first two Ashes Test matches against Australia, set to begin on June 16 in Birmingham. Moeen, who will soon celebrate his 36th birthday, had previously retired from Test cricket in 2021. However, he reconsidered his decision following discussions with England Test captain Ben Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum, and Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key. “We reached out to Mo (Moeen Ali) early this week about returning to Test cricket,” Key said.…

Vaibhav Tripathi Ahead of the WTC final against Australia, Virat Kohli hoped Rohit Sharma would repeat his impressive performance at The Oval in 2021, where he scored his first overseas Test century, versus England. Rohit emerged as a key figure during India’s tour of England in 2021, excelling as an opener in Test matches. One of his standout moments came at The Oval, where he delivered a remarkable innings of 127 runs, featuring 14 boundaries and a six, showcasing his exceptional skills in the game. This century played a vital role in India’s memorable win. “The way he performed in…

Vaibhav Tripathi Australia skipper Pat Cummins talked about the challenges of facing skilful Indian spinners ahead of the WTC final against India at The Oval. He also succinctly observed that the conditions in India, where Australia played their previous Test series, are completely different to what both sides would encounter in the summit clash. “We obviously haven’t played India back home for a couple of years,” he said in a pre-match presser. “So the side’s a little bit different. But they’ve been fantastic when they’ve travelled out to Australia a couple times. You know the conditions of the last couple…

Vaibhav Tripathi Ahead of the WTC final, India wicket-keeper, KS Bharat, received valuable tips from the legendary MS Dhoni. During the IPL 2023, Dhoni had shared his insights about wicket-keeping in England. “Recently, during the IPL, I had a word with Mahendra (Singh Dhoni). He (talked about) his experiences of keeping in England as well as what would work the best for any wicket-keeper. It was a very good conversation and there were a lot of insights from that,” KS Bharat told the ICC. “It’s the awareness – the best example is MS Dhoni, the awareness he has in…

Rohit Sharma, India’s Test captain, held his cards close to his chest at the pre-match press conference before the eagerly awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, set to start on Wednesday, June 7, at The Oval in south London. Rohit didn’t name a playing XI, merely saying that all 15 members of the squad would be in contention. “We’ve been hearing about not much of cricket being played here in June, but the county season actually has been played here. We saw there was a game played a couple of weeks back here,” Rohit told reporters. “So, it’s…



Rohit Sharma was hit on the left thumb while facing some throwdowns on the eve of the World Test Championship final against Australia, which begins at The Oval on Wednesday, June 7. India had an optional training session on Tuesday, attended by Rohit, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav and KS Bharat, in contention for the wicketkeeper’s spot in the big game. Bharat had enjoyed a fairly long net by the time Rohit asked Raghavendra, or Raghu as the team call him, to give him some throwdowns. One of those balls leapt off a length and struck him a painful blow on…

Vaibhav Tripathi Reports suggest that England all-rounder Moeen Ali is contemplating a comeback to Test cricket for the upcoming Ashes series against Australia. Incidentally, last year too England head coach, Brendon McCullum, had asked Moeen whether he would return to the Test set-up for the series in Pakistan. On his part, Moeen had declined the offer. This decision comes in light of spinner, Jack Leach’s absence due to a lower back stress fracture, which is a significant blow to England’s bowling department. Moeen has an impressive Test record, having scored 2,914 runs in 64 matches at an average of 28.29,…

Vaibhav Tripathi Ahead of the WTC final against India, Steve Smith has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to win, highlighting the exceptional cricket they have played in recent years. “We’ve obviously played some really good cricket in the last few years to be in this position to play in the final against India, who have also played really good cricket. So, it makes for a good week, but we’re certainly confident that we can win,” Smith told reporters on Monday, June 5. He also emphasized the significance of the World Test Championship, believing that it adds relevance to…