Rohit Sharma’s Team India will take on Pat Cummins’ Australian side in the historic WTC Final 2023. India will look to avenge their loss from the inaugural WTC Final vs New Zealand in 2021 and end their decade-long ICC title drought of the senior men’s team.
Australia, on the other hand, will want to win the Test championship to assert their dominance in all three formats over the past 8 years, having won the 2015 ODI World Cup and 2021 T20 World Cup, and also lay a strong statement ahead of the important Ashes series.
India are currently dealing with a heavy injury spree in their squad. As many as 5 players who would have been part of the squad or are currently part of the squad are dealing with various injuries and are out of the WTC Final 2023.
Here are 5 Indian players who are currently injured for the WTC Final 2023:
Rishabh Pant
Pant’s record against Australia is terrific: 12 Test innings, average of 62 and strike rate of 72 with 2 fifties and a century.
KS Bharat, who is debut vs Australia at home, is likely to keep wicket in the WTC Final 2023.
Jasprit Bumrah
India’s spearhead fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah underwent a back surgery in New Zealand in March for a back problem that has kept him out of action since last September, forcing him to the miss the T20 WC, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and the IPL 2023.
He has commenced his rehab and is expected to take the field by September, just ahead of the home ODI World Cup 2023. Since his debut in 2018, Bumrah has taken 128 wickets, and only Shami and Ashwin have more wickets than Bumrah since 2018.
It is not certain who will be India’s third seamer to partner Shami and Siraj.
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer underwent a back surgery in April, which ruled him out of the IPL 2023 and the WTC Final. He had been troubled with a back problem since December but managed to play in 3 Tests against Australia. He didn’t come out to bat in the 4th Test in Ahmedabad due to intense back pain before deciding on a surgery.
His absence has left a hole in the middle-order.
KL Rahul
Rahul’s thigh injury is the latest of the big blows to Team India. The LSG captained sustained a tear in his thigh tendor while fielding during an IPL 2023 match. He has decided to go for surgery which consequently has ruled him out of the remainder of the IPL 2023 and the WTC Final 2023.
KL Rahul was the second keeper in the WTC Final squad and was expected to replace Iyer in the middle-order; some even pondered over Rahul keeping the WTC Final instead of KS Bharat that would have allowed India to play an extra batter in the XI.
Now, with Rahul and Iyer ruled out, it is likely that Ajinkya Rahane will play at number 5 in the WTC Final 2023.
Jaydev Unadkat
Jaydev Unadkat, who made his return to Team India after a decade last year in Bangladesh and was selected for the WTC Final 2023 owing to his brilliant domestic season and could have even got into the side as the only left-arm pacer, now stands a chance to not make the flight to the Oval at all after his shoulder injury during the nets in IPL 2023.
Unadkat, who has played 3 matches for LSG in IPL 2023, has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2023 because of a left-shoulder injury. He is expected to go to the NCA in Bangalore for rehab in order to get fit to travel to England for the WTC final 2023, but chances look grim.
Unadkat’s injury means that Umesh Yadav is likely to get the nod as the third seamer, or perhaps even Shardul Thakur if India decides to play Ashwin along with Jadeja and this would lengthen their batting a bit.
