The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team is all set to face Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, starting Wednesday at The Oval. This will be India’s second shot at the title after their failed campaign in the 2021 edition. India lost the World Test Championship Final 2021 at the hands of New Zealand.
This time Indian players will be hoping to move past the disappointment of the previous edition and bring the coveted Test Mace home.
Parthiv Patel Names The Biggest Threat For Team India
Meanwhile, ahead of the high-octane summit clash, former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel has named the biggest threat to the Indian cricket team. Patel feels that Australia’s star batter Steve Smith will be the biggest threat to the Indian side, considering his recent performances in County Cricket. Patel feels that Smith will make a comeback for his side in the upcoming summit clash.
In an interaction with Cricbuzz, Parthiv Patel said: “Steve Smith will be a threat to Team India following his county stint.”
For the unversed, Smith had a lackluster performance for Sussex in the second-division English County Championship. He scored just 122 runs for Sussex in three innings for Sussex with captain Cheteshwar Pujara leading by example, slamming 545 runs in eight innings with the help of three hundred and a fifty.
Patel also feels David Warner can also harm team India’s chances of winning the World Test Championship Final 2023 and would look forward to ending his Test career on a high.
Smith’s Special Preparation Against Indian Bowlers
Meanwhile, Steve Smith has been training hard for the WTC final against Rohit Sharma’s boys. He was recently seen training with a different bat that has small black triangular edges installed on both sides of the bat’s blades. In the video, Smith can be seen middling the ball with ease using his unique bat.
The video was shared by the official Instagram handle of the ICC. Sharing the video, ICC wrote:
“Expect some funk when Steve Smith is at the crease! #Reels #CricketReels #WTC23.”
Watch the video:
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