With the World Test Championship (WTC) final inching closer, speculation is rife regarding the biggest red-ball encounter between India and Australia. While fans and pundits have started choosing their bets for the summit clash, former Australian captain Aaron Finch thinks that India can get the upper hand against the Aussies.
Finch referred to the emergence of some talented pacers in recent times, as the reason for his belief. While speaking to Hindustan Times during the Legends Cricket League in Qatar’s Doha, the legendary batter said that India’s seam attack comprises a number of “top bowlers in the world,” who can breathe fire on the pacer-friendly track of the Kennington Oval.
Aaron Finch hailed Mohammad Siraj in particular and highlighted the 29-year-old pacer’s ability to swing the new ball. Other fast bowlers like Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami can also play a pivotal role in the WTC final, in which “India have a huge chance,” according to the former Aussie opener.
“When you look at Shami, Umesh and Siraj, these guys are really very good fast bowlers. Siraj is among the top bowlers in the world at the moment with the way that he can swing the ball. They beat England in England last time. So India has a lot of bases covered, whether they play one or two spinners,” Finch explained.
When questioned about the Australian unit, Aaron Finch was quick to predict that the side would not “play three spinners.” Skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the last two Tests of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to family obligations, is expected to join the team in the WTC final and will lead the Aussie pace attack.
Speaking about Australia’s performance in the recent Test series in India, Finch believed that the Cummins-led brigade may beat the hosts if their batting unit manages to avoid a massive collapse like that in the second innings of the Delhi Test, which, in his words, was “one hour of madness.” The batting maestro did shower praise on the Baggy Greens for making a roaring comeback in the third Test, even after enduring a lot of humiliation in the first two.
“Australia batted a bit longer and deeper in the game. It would have been easier for them to drop their heads after losing the toss in the third Test. But the way they took the approach and bowled on the first morning was brilliant. And then to take a lead and get ahead in the game was pretty awesome as well. They deserved to win that fixture,” Finch said.
Owing to their victory in the third Test, Australia secured their place in the WTC final. On the other hand, India made their way into the game in a dramatic fashion after New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka in the first of the two-Test home series. The WTC final 2023 is slated to begin on June 7.
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