On Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), announced the final 15-member Indian squad for the inaugural final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) against New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Surprisingly, players like, KL Rahul, and Mayank Agarwal haven’t been included in the squad. The 15-member squad announced by the BCCI includes six batsmen, two wicket-keepers, one all-rounder, one spinner, and five fast bowlers.
As expected, Virat Kohli will be leading the squad and with Ajinkya Rahane as his deputy and Rishabh Pant as the first choice wicket-keeper batsman,. The players to miss out from the original 20-member squad that has toured England are: Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Agarwal, and Washington Sundar as compared to the 20 players went to the UK.
🗒️ #TeamIndia announce their 15-member squad for the #WTC21 Final 💪 👇 pic.twitter.com/ts9fK3j89t
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 15, 2021
India’s 15-member squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha
ALSO READ: Prediction Of Rain On Every Day Of The WTC Final?
The cricket fans around the world have some worrying news ahead of the much-awaited game as there is a prediction of heavy rain on all five days scheduled to be commencing on 18th June at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
New Zealand has a strong fast bowling attack that includes Trent Boult and Tim Southee, who can swing the balls at will. On the other hand, Virat Kohli might use all his four fast bowlers for this match. Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj could take advantage of the overcast and windy conditions.
ALSO READ: New Zealand Announce Squad For WTC Final, Ajaz Patel, Devon Conway Added
The Men In Blue played a three-day simulated intrasquad match to practice for the final. BCCI has been releasing short videos of each day of the intra-squad match. The fans are just loving it. In some of the clips, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has been seen bowling, whereas, in some others, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been seen in his vintage explosive form hitting sixes.