WTC final preparation to go alongside IPL, says India’s Rohit

Thursday, 16 March 2023 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

AHMEDABAD, AFP: India skipper Rohit Sharma said Monday the Test team will stay connected to prepare for the World Test Championship final despite two months of Twenty20 action in the Indian Premier League.

India won the series against Australia 2-1 after the fourth Test ended in a draw in Ahmedabad.

The world’s two top-ranked teams will battle again on 7-11 June at The Oval in the World Test Championship final.

Even before the players shook hands on day five, India qualified for the WTC title clash thanks to New Zealand’s thrilling last-ball win over Sri Lanka earlier in the day.

“It will be a different ball game with neutral venue for both teams,” Rohit said of the big clash in London.

“Both teams have played lot of cricket in that part of the world and I won’t say it will be alien conditions.”

But players will now switch to a limited-overs format with the two teams set to play three one-day internationals ahead of the much-awaited IPL starting 31 March.

Rohit said he expected good workload management from his core group of long-format players during the gruelling IPL, which will return with the home and away format for the first time since the pandemic.

“Whatever time we find after IPL, we will try and get ready for that (final),” he said.

The fast bowlers will be made to practise with Dukes balls, which are used in England and behave differently than the SG leather balls in India or the Kookaburra in Australia, Rohit added.

The IPL will conclude with the final on 28th May just 10 days ahead of the WTC match, but Rohit believed some players whose IPL teams exit from the tournament early will be sent to the United Kingdom.

“Around 21st May, there will be six teams who will be possibly out of IPL play-off contention and so whichever players are available, we will try and find time to get them to (the) UK as early as possible,” he said.

Australia made the final after their win in the third Test in Indore and stand-in-skipper Steve Smith remains excited to meet India in London.

“It’s going to be great coming up against India in the final,” he said.

“The Oval, the wicket there can take spin at times particularly as the game wears on so it could be interesting in terms of what sort of wicket we get.”

“It’s a great place to play cricket, there’s usually reasonable pace and bounce for an English wicket,” Smith added.

“It’s probably as close as you get to Australia in terms of pace and bounce.”