Australia dashed India's hopes of ending the 10-year ICC trophy drought with a comprehensive win in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) at The Oval on Sunday. The Aussies were always the favourites going into the final considering the conditions and the timing of the final. In fact, India would still be the underdogs if they were pitted against any SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) team in England. The final played immediately after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 meant the majority of the Indian players were jaded and had little time to get acclimatised to the English conditions.
India making it to the finals of the first two editions of the WTC is laudable, but with a bit more application – both from the players and the Board of Control for Cricket in India administrators — the outcome could have been different.
For once India got their playing XI right and made the correct call — to bowl on winning the toss in overcast conditions. The debate as to whether including off-spinner R Ashwin in place of seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur would have made any difference was totally uncalled for. Thakur was the right choice based purely on the conditions and it must be noted that Ashwin has had little success in England in the past.
If at all captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid wanted to play Ashwin alongside spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, India should have gambled to bat first against a formidable Australian pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. The very fact that the Indians opted to bowl in a Test for the first time since 2015 meant they were wary of tackling the Australian pacers first up and it was the sensible decision too.
How the match played out
At 76/3 shortly after lunch, the match was in the balance. But the 285-run stand between Travis Head (163) and Steve Smith (121) simply took the game away from the Indians. Head's counterattack rattled the Indian bowlers and with third seamer Umesh Yadav struggling for control, Rohit was helpless. Once Australia ended the opening day at 327/3, there was always going to be one winner.
India's hopes of saving the Test solely depended on them batting out time and drawing close to the Australian total of 469. But that was not to be. Barring a century partnership between comeback man Ajinkya Rahane (89) and Thakur (51) for the seventh wicket and a fighting 48 by Jadeja, the Indian batters had little resistance to offer as they conceded a 173-run first-innings lead.
Australia piled more misery on India by batting well into the second session on the penultimate day and setting a daunting target of 444. Though India began spiritedly in their chase and ended the fourth day on 164/3, it was always going to be an uphill task. Once Virat Kohli fell to Boland after playing a loose drive, the writing was on the wall. In fact the shots played by Rohit, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli and Rahane in the second innings were shocking to say the least. In the end, the Indian innings folded up for 234 as Australia added the lone ICC trophy which was missing in their showcase.
The road ahead
What next for an ageing Indian side? Barring Shubman Gill, the Indian top order is nearing the sunset. India's next WTC cycle starts next month with the team touring the West Indies for a two-match series. The Indian selectors need to take a call on Pujara's future. Hanuma Vihari could be the perfect replacement for Pujara at No. 3.
Shreyas Iyer, who missed the WTC final with an injury, has struggled abroad against short-pitched bowling. Iyer is a match-winner in the subcontinent, but his technique remains susceptible in testing conditions.
Rahane grabbed the opportunity with both hands and could well have prolonged his Test career. Rohit is clearly in the twilight of his international career, while Kohli can easily continue for a couple more years considering his technique and fitness. Rohit's future both as captain and player will depend a lot on how India fare in the ICC World Cup to be held in October-November.
India sorely missed pacer Jasprit Bumrah and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in the WTC final. It remains to be seen when the duo will be back.
Pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj were impressive. Shami can be the spearhead for at least a couple more seasons, while Siraj has grown in stature in the past one year.
