India and Australia will face off in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 (WTC) following two years of gruelling Test cricket. Fans and cricket experts have equally made predictions as to who will emerge victorious from the championship match. Similarly, the Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar believes that Team India is in a stronger position than their rivals Australia to win the WTC final.
Sunil Gavaskar supported his claim with the straightforward argument that the Australian players have not played much cricket in the lead-up to the finals. Therefore, match practice is required for such important contests. Sunil Gavaskar stated that the Indian team has valuable on-field experience, as the majority of its players participated in the recently concluded Indian Premier League 2023.
“The Australian athletes have not played any cricket in recent times. When you have to perform such a crucial match, you’d want to conserve your energy. As a result of their extensive playing experience, the Indian athletes have accrued such experience. “Everyone has played,” stated Gavaskar.
In addition, the legendary Indian opener noted that Cheteshwar Pujara, who was not a participant in the IPL 2023, played in the County Championship. In the eight innings of the series, Pujara scored 545 runs at an average of 64.80 while also reaching three centuries.
“Cheteshwar Pujara, who was not a member of the IPL, participated in the County Championship, regularly scoring hundreds. The others have also played cricket extensively. The Indian legend told Sports Tak that he believes his team is better prepared.
Sunil Gavaskar predicts that Indian bowlers will perform well in the WTC Final.
The former cricketer-turned-commentator also stated that Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj will absolutely dominate in overcast conditions, far more so than the Australian duo of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. The 73-year-old also supported India’s regular wicket-takers, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, as they have wickets under their belts. Therefore, the Indian bowling lineup appears to be more stable for the final summit.
“How will Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood find their cadence without any previous experience? “We saw how Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj bowled in the IPL,” Gavaskar said.