Starting June 7 at The Oval, India and Australia will be competing for the ultimate prize in Test cricket: World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
While Australia have an almost fit squad to select – should Hazlewood not be fit in time, Scott Boland or Michael Neser would get in – India are already depleted having lost the services of Bumrah, Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul to injuries. So much that many are considering Australia as the favorites over India to win the World Test Championship Final 2023.
In that case, India would need some X-factors to make up for the absent players.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels that India should hand Ishan Kishan a debut cap as the left-hander could prove to be an X-factor for Rohit Sharma in the WTC Final since Rishabh Pant is not available.
Picked as a replacement of KL Rahul, although Kishan has made it into the Test squad on the back of white-ball performances, the left-hander has impressive numbers in first-class cricket: in 48 first-class matches, Kishan averages 38 having struck 6 centuries and 16 fifties.
Speaking on the ICC Review, Former Australian said: “I’d pick Ishan Kishan. If you want to be crowned the world champion, you have to win the game. Hence why there is a sixth day that has been added to try and give both teams the best chance of a result.
“I’d be going with Ishan Kishan if I was them in this game. I think it just provides that little bit of X-factor that you might need when pushing for a win in a Test match.”
Kishan can provide that really high-scoring run rate: Ricky Ponting
KS Bharat was preferred over Indian WK in the 4-Test series against Australia at home earlier this year. So it seems unlikely that Kishan will be picked over KS Bharat for the World Test Championship Final. But with Pant not in the side, India might think of Kishan as that explosive game-changer in the lower middle-order.
“Obviously if Rishabh Pant is fit, he’s playing and he provides that X-factor for India. But with him not being there, and this is no blight on Bharat whatsoever, but I think Kishan just provides that little bit more X-factor,” Ponting added.
“(Kishan) will do a good job with the gloves, but can provide that really high-scoring run rate that might be required in a one-off Test match to try and push for a win.”
