Two years of hard work and now, both India and Australia are just one game away from being crowned World Test Champions, an accolade which is to be cherished for a lifetime. However, India have a selection conundrum ahead of the start of this match. While most of the playing XI looks set, the Rohit Sharma-led side would have to make a call between selecting either Ishan Kishan or KS Bharat for the wicketkeeper’s slot. As the time for the match nears, fans could be wondering if Ishan Kishan will make his debut or whether the team management will stick with KS Bharat. Is Rohit Sharma Out of ICC WTC 2023 Final? Here’s the Latest Update on Indian Captain Ahead of India vs Australia Summit Clash.

Bharat made his Test debut earlier this year when he was part of the team for the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. He did have a decent time behind the stumps but was not good with the bat in hand and that might come into consideration when the Indian team for this match is picked. In that respect, Ishan Kishan would be a handy option as he can pretty much play the counter-attacking role that injured star keeper Rishabh Pant had in the middle order. But while Bharat has the experience of playing Test cricket, Ishan Kishan is yet to make his debut in the format. Would the additional pressure of debuting in a final not make an impact on Kishan’s performance should he get picked? WTC 2023 Final: Scott Boland to Be Part of Australia's Playing XI in Summit Clash Against India, Confirms Captain Pat Cummins.

Not just this but India also would need to pick and form a lethal bowling combination for the match. The certainties are Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav and the toss-up would be between Shardul Thakur and Ravichandran Ashwin. If one may recall, Ashwin did not play a single game of the five-match series between India and England in 2021-22. Also, can Team India afford to play two spinners? Ravindra Jadeja was the lone spinner when India played the last time at this venue. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, as reported by ESPNCricinfo, stated that a final call would be made after they had assessed the conditions.

The remaining nine players are fixed though—the captain would open with Shubman Gill with Cheteshwar Pujara at three and Virat Kohli at four. Comeback man Ajinkya Rahane comes at five, with Ravindra Jadeja to follow at six. One of Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat would be the keeper, batting at seven with Ashwin or Shardul at eight. The three pacers—Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav would follow.

India’s Likely Playing XI for WTC 2023 Final vs Australia

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat/Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin/Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 06, 2023 08:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).