With the conclusion of the 2023 Indian Premier League, all attention has shifted to the upcoming World Test Championship Final (WTC Final) between India and Australia, which is set to begin on June 7th at ‘The Oval’ in London.
A slew of Indian and Australian debutants will be seen in action when the two cricketing titans square off in the second edition of the ICC WTC final. While Australia will be making its debut in the WTC Final, India will be competing in the final for the second time in a row.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has named his combined Test XI, which includes both Indian and Australian players, ahead of the much-anticipated ICC World Test Championship final (ICC WTC Final) between India and Australia.
Hussain has raised a few eyebrows by selecting his combined XI for the WTC Final 2023. He has passed up a couple of big names on his team in favor of just one spinner. He has also left out Ravindra Jadeja and Nathan Lyon, instead opting for Ravichandran Ashwin as the specialist spinner.
Also read: WTC Final 2023: Why England is Hosting India vs Australia Match?
Speaking of Jadeja, the former England batter stated that he passed over the India allrounder due to the English conditions. He stated:
“If the World Test Championship Final was in the subcontinent or India, I might go Jadeja at six. But I’m not, because it’s in England,” Hussain told The ICC Review.
He added: “I’m going to go for a bowling all-rounder, seam-bowler in Cameron Green. That’s who I want as my all-rounder. My spin bowler would be Ravi Ashwin at eight. And he bats, obviously, very good at No.8.”
In terms of the rest of the team, Hussain began by selecting Rohit Sharma and Usman Khawaja as his openers. He then selected Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and former India captain Virat Kohli. He stated:
“India is still deciding which one to play, so I’m going to go with Alex Carey as my keeper at seven.”
Hussain also revealed his pace bowling lineup. He began by selecting Australia captain Pat Cummins before moving on to Mitchell Starc. He also mentioned Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, both of whom are currently injured.
“(Pat) Cummins at nine, no contest.” “I’m going to use (Mitchell) Starc at 10 to give me that left-arm variation,”
“Mohammed Shami, just so we can have someone who can replace injured Bumrah,” he added.
Nasser Hussain’s combined India-Australia Test XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Mohammad Shami