The last match of the ICC World Test Championship will take place between India and Australia at The Oval on Sunday, and a lot of the sport’s greatest luminaries have already given their predictions for the match.
Ricky Ponting of Australia, Ravi Shastri of India, Wasim Akram of Pakistan, Ian Bell of England, and Ross Taylor of New Zealand sat down together before to the showpiece Final in London to discuss the one-off Test.
The following is a summary of what the five legends had to say before to the start of play on Wednesday.
Ricky Ponting is making a prediction that Australia will win.
Ponting, who captained Australia in the past, believes that the combination of India’s selection issues and the circumstances in England put Rohit Sharma’s team in a position of small disadvantage in comparison to Australia.
“Australia are just favourites,” Ponting remarked. In terms of player selection and injury concerns, I believe that India’s team has a few spots that are a little bit up in the air right now. Since KL Rahul and (Jasprit) Bumrah were not there, and Umesh Yadav has been dealing with some injury concerns, the question was posed, “Which keeper do they want to take? Will they go with KS Bharat’s Ishan Kishan?I believe things are going to calm down quite a bit in Australia, and if you think about it, the conditions in early June here are probably more similar to Australian conditions than they are to Indian ones.
“But having said that, we are all aware of how well India performed in Australia the last time they were there; therefore, I just think that on the back of the work that they’ve done, Australia I think starts as the narrow favorite.”
Whoever throws the first punch will win, according to Ravi Shastri’s prediction.
Shastri, a great former player and coach for India, will not be pulled into identifying a favorite but does believe that the early momentum in the match would be crucial when play begins on Wednesday.
“In a one-off game, it’s not easy,” observed Shastri.Both of these teams have been out of action for a considerable amount of time, which means they have not been practicing for the lengthier duration of the game. While Australia, with the exception of (Steve) Smith and (Marnus) Labuschagne, who have played a little bit of country cricket, have not played for the lengthier periods of time, India has participated in a significant amount of Twenty20 cricket.
“I believe that the first punch will count on the very first day.
“I think Pat Cummins will be charged up for Australia, and I think Mohammed Shami for India (will be key).” “I think Mohammed Shami will be the key for India.”
Wasim Akram’s Prediction: Australia will win the series.
Wasim, a legendary bowler from Pakistan, thinks that the weather in June would favor Australia’s assault and give them a slight edge over Pakistan’s.
According to Wasim, “Both teams have demonstrated in the last two years that they are the best in the world, and as a result, they are in the final.”
“This pitch typically favors teams from the sub-continent, but whenever we toured here… we played our last Test match here at the end of August or the first week of September. “
“However, this event is taking place in the first week of June, which means that the square is different, as it is a fresh square, and the ball is different as a Dukes.
“So heading into this Test match, I believe Australia are something of a favorite, despite the fact that (Josh) Hazlewood won’t be playing and he would have been extremely useful on this wicket.
“And India has a wonderful record against Australia in the previous few of years, and they just won the home series 2-1, so it’ll be a very competitive game, and that’s the beauty of this World Test Championship. India has a terrific record against Australia in the last couple of years. It’s too late now, and I’m really sort of upset, but back then there wasn’t anything like this at all; just try to picture competing to be the best team in the entire world.
“Australia enters the match as the game’s small favorite, but there are a number of elements to consider, including the weather, the ground, and the Dukes ball. Every session is crucial; in one session, Australia could take the lead, but India will surely fight back in the next one—that’s the beauty of test cricket.
Ian Bell’s prediction: The player with the higher batting average will win.
According to Bell, a former hitter for England who won Player of the Series for their Ashes victory at home in 2013, the difference between the two teams in this match will come down to the total number of runs scored.
Bell believes that the winner of the match will be determined by who can score more runs than their opponent and exert more pressure on them during the second half of the game. Both teams have formidable bowling attacks that will be on display.
“The weather is looking really good, there will be a lot of sun for the week, so you’d anticipate it to be a pretty decent pitch to bat on, definitely in the early parts of the game, and maybe take a little bit of spin at the back end. He remarked, “I expect to see a really good wicket and an interesting five days.” Although the competition itself will be fascinating, he anticipates that the five days will be interesting.
“It’s going to be really interesting to watch how both teams approach it. We are aware that each team has two bowling assaults that are of world-class caliber, therefore the focus will be on how many runs each team can score. That is the way things work in England; if you are able to go large, you can exert a great deal of pressure on those who are working behind the scenes. Therefore, I believe it is important to keep a close check on the batting units.
Australia, according to Ross Taylor’s forecast
Taylor, who scored the runs that won the 2021 World Test Championship Final for New Zealand over India, is of the opinion that Australia have a very little edge in this matchup between the best two teams in the world. Taylor was a part of New Zealand’s victory against India.
Taylor’s forecast is based on a number of factors, including his familiarity with the conditions in England and the fact that India’s squad has been decimated by injuries; however, he did qualify his assertion by stating that the outcome of the toss might be decisive.
It will be fascinating to watch how much grass they leave on the wicket, regardless of who wins the toss. According to Taylor, “India prefers to play two spinners, so if they can bowl last on it, you just never know.”
“However, I believe that Australia will play here quite a bit during the Ashes series, and the loss of Bumrah is a significant blow for India.
“So I think the toss will play a part, but the early prediction I’d say just slightly in favor of Australia,” the author says. “I’d say this probably because of the injuries that India has, but also because of the experience that Australia has in playing over here.”
On the morning of Wednesday, June 7 at 10:30 local time, the final of the World Test Championship will get begin at The Oval, which is located in south London.