New Delhi: Star batsman Virat Kohli is among the Indian players who will leave for England in the early hours of Tuesday for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in London. Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate Mohammad Siraj will also reach London on the same flight. The first batch to leave for England includes spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Akshar Patel and all-rounder Shardul Thakur, besides a support staff led by Rahul Dravid. The WTC final will be played at The Oval from June 7 to 11. Sources in the Cricket Board of India (BCCI) said, ‘The players will reach England in two or three batches. The first batch will leave tomorrow morning at 4.30 am. The players whose teams have reached the playoffs of the Indian Premier League will reach England later. These players include Captain Rohit Sharma, Ishaan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, KS Bharat and Ajinkya Rahane. Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara is already playing county cricket in England.
The Indian team might not get to play any warm-up matches before the WTC final. The English County Championship is currently underway and the WTC final is an International Cricket Council (ICC) match. As such, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is under no obligation to arrange warm-up matches for the visiting team. “If we play against a select county XI, it will mostly consist of second-tier players or youngsters as the teams will not release their core players during the championship,” a BCCI source said on the sidelines. Playing against weak opposition will not help in solid practice.
The Indian team might not get to play any warm-up matches before the WTC final. The English County Championship is currently underway and the WTC final is an International Cricket Council (ICC) match. As such, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is under no obligation to arrange warm-up matches for the visiting team. “If we play against a select county XI, it will mostly consist of second-tier players or youngsters as the teams will not release their core players during the championship,” a BCCI source said on the sidelines. Playing against weak opposition will not help in solid practice.
Most of India’s players will turn up for the WTC final after playing in the IPL for two months, while only three of the players in the Australian squad for the crucial match were playing in the T20 league. India was the runner-up in the WTC in 2021. He will be aiming to win the first ICC trophy in the last 10 years.
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