The World Test Championship (WTC Final) between India and Australia will begin on June 7 at The Oval. Because the competition will be held in a neutral location, there has already been speculation about the circumstances and rule revisions.
The International Cricket Committee (ICC) affirmed the elimination of the soft signal rule and the inclusion of a reserve day, similar to the previous edition, in which rain played a significant role.
Another critical factor is the sort of ball that will be utilised for the high-octane clash. While former Australia captain Ricky Ponting recently indicated that the teams will be utilising the Kookaburra ball made in Australia, a BCCI official has rejected such reports and verified that the Duke’s ball will be used instead. InsideSport quoted him as saying:
“No, we are playing with Dukes. Our guys have already begun practice with Dukes. The pacers were given Dukes during IPL to prepare for the final. We haven’t heard anything about the change of ball. I don’t know from where Ponting picked that up.”
With its additional lacquer and typical blood cherry tint, the Duke’s ball keeps shining for a longer amount of time, allowing swing bowling for up to 60 overs. The utilisation of Duke’s ball, along with swing-friendly conditions in England, should put both teams’ pacers into action.
The Duke’s ball has received negative comments in the recent past, which the maker Dilip Jajodia attributes to the usage of alternative chemicals owing to COVID-19. He has confirmed, however, that the balls would be of the greatest quality for the forthcoming English summer, which includes England’s one-off Test against Ireland, the WTC final, and The Ashes.
Team India support staff and select players have departed for England ahead of WTC Final
After the conclusion of the IPL 2023, Team India will leave for England in batches for the World Tennis Championship (WTC) Final.
Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur, among others, have already left for England on Tuesday, May 23. Senior players like Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin will join the squad soon.
Players that are presently in the playoffs will leave immediately following the IPL final on Sunday, May 28. With no warm-up games scheduled in the first week of June, an intra-squad match to assist players acclimatise to red-ball after a frantic T20 season is a possibility.