Rohit Sharma said that they would try something new in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad to prepare for the likely World Test Championship (WTC) Final ahead of the forthcoming third Test against Australia. A victory in the Indore Test would clinch India’s position in the World T20 final, but the Ahmedabad Test will be their penultimate red-ball game before the probable World T20 Final in June.
India has taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, with home advantage playing a significant factor in their supremacy. The WTC Final, on the other hand, will take place from June 7 to 11 at The Oval in London. The circumstances will be very different for India, thus the management plans to utilise the Ahmedabad Test to model diverse scenarios.
The Indian squad used three spinners and two pacers in the first two matches against Australia. Nevertheless, for the prospective WTC Final, they may eliminate one spinner and replace him with a speed all-rounder, most likely Shardul Thakur. Shardul is in the management’s plans, according to Rohit, and they will surely try something new in the Ahmedabad Test.
“There is absolutely a chance of that. We’ve previously discussed it. We need to prepare the men for it. Shardul Thakur is crucial since he participates in our planning. We don’t know how prepared he is since he just married.
We have no idea how many overs he has bowled. Yet the cognitive process is undeniably present. If we do what we’re doing here and achieve the results we want, we’ll definitely consider about doing something different in Ahmedabad,” Rohit stated at a pre-match news conference.
But, Rohit also requested patience since India is still to seal their berth in the WTC final. But, he acknowledged that neither team in the final would have a home advantage since England is already out.
“Simply speaking about it from the outside… I don’t believe England is going to qualify, thus both teams that are going to play the final will be neutral teams. That will be thrilling. There is no home advantage or any other benefit. You may be aware that India has played a significant amount of cricket in England in recent years. Australia has also played a lot of cricket there, according to the 35-year-old.
“South Africa and Sri Lanka are also involved. They’ve most likely played a lot of cricket there as well. It will not be foreign circumstances as such [to those who will make the ultimate decision]. “The two teams, whoever they are, will have a terrific fight,” Sharma said.
India and Australia are the most likely to meet in the World Tennis Championship final, with the latter in a tough position. Australia must avoid a 4-0 whitewash against India, and if that fails, they must hope that New Zealand defeats Sri Lanka in the subsequent two-match home series, which begins on March 8.
