Everything you need to know about World Test Cricket Championship final between Australia and India

It will all be on the line in Wednesday night’s World Test Championship (WTC) Final, where Australia and India do battle to decide who really is the world’s best five-day side. 

Pat Cummins’ Aussie side comfortably finished as the highest-ranked side over the two-year cycle, and will take on fierce rivals India in London for what is set to be a blockbuster encounter. 

Here’s all you need to know ahead of the WTC Final on Wednesday night thanks to Daily Mail Australia. 

Skipper Pat Cummins poses at The Oval in the new uniform the Aussie side will wear in the final

What is the World Test Championship?

The ICC World Test Championship is a two-year tournament, with nine teams (Bangladesh, England, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand, India and Australia) vying for two spots in this upcoming final. Countries are ranked on percentage of points won in eligible Test matches.

The inaugural WTC Final was played at the Rose Bowl in England in 2021, with New Zealand spanking India by eight wickets thanks to seven wickets by Kyle Jamieson in a low-scoring match. 

The ICC has been awarding the eye-catching, sceptre-like trophy to the team atop the Test rankings each year since 2002, but now the trophy will go to the winner of the final at the end of the two-year cycle. 

A disappointed Virat Kohli leads his Indian side off the field after they lost the inaugural WTC Final to New Zealand in 2021

What is on the line for both sides and what happens if they draw?

Aside from the bragging rights at being crowned the best Test side in the world, there’s a fair bit of money at stake. The winner will pocket a cool $2.4million, with the runner-up getting the still respectable total of $1.2million.

Even for cricketers who earn $20,000 for each Test they are a part of the squad, and earn over $1million per year (Pat Cummins earns $3million per year from Cricket Australia alone), that is nothing to sneeze at. 

If the two sides either draw or tie the match, the honours will be shared, and both teams would be crowned the World Test Champions. 

Where is it? When is it? 

The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 8pm AEST (10.30am local) on Wednesday evening, and for the first time in their 76-year Test history, India and Australia will be playing at a neutral venue.

The fierce rivals will face off at The Oval, in London for the five-day Test, just months after they did battle in a chaotic Border-Gavaskar series in India. The pitch will be similar to an Aussie deck, and is expected to be quite quick, and decent for batting, before it begins to spin as the game wears on.

The two sides will be playing at iconic London venue The Oval, the first time they have played at a neutral venue in their 76-year history

Traditionally The Oval has been England’s most spin-friendly deck, but Aussie speedster Sean Abbott, who has been over playing in the UK playing country cricket, said there a lot of pace in the pitch.  

‘The pitch we played on last week was bloody quick. The ball was flying through,’ he told cricket.com.au last month. 

Session times (AEST) from July 7-11

• Morning session: 8-10pm
• Lunch: 10-10.40pm
• Afternoon session: 10.40pm-12.40am
• Tea: 12.40-1am
• Evening session: 1-3am 

How do I watch? 

Aussie fans can watch the clash live on Channel 7 from 7.30pm (AEST) each evening, with half an hour of pre-match coverage prior to the first ball. 

It is important for fans Down Under to know, however, that given the AFL is on at the same time, which Seven channel (be it the main channel or 7Mate) it appears be on will change on evenings where the two sports clash, confusingly and disappointingly for fans. You will need to keep an eye on your local Free to Air listings to make sure you don’t miss the action.

Virat Kohli whips one through midwicket at Indian training in England on June 1. The ex-skipper will be crucial for his side in what is a shaky middle order

The network will also be streaming the final on 7Plus, where hopefully none of the issues that have plagued Seven’s coverage of major sporting events like the AFL grand final continue.

India viewers can watch on Star Sports, while UK fans can tune in via Sky Sports. In other regions it can be watched free on ICC.tv. 

What happens if it rains?

If there is significant time lost to rain that can’t be made up during the five-day clash, a sixth reserve day can be used. 

The weather is expected to be sunny for the first three days of the Test, with potential rain forecast on the fourth. Day five is also expected to be dry. 

Who is playing?

Australia has already been forced into one change to its squad, with injury-riddled fast bowler Josh Hazlewood not able to get over concerns over his side muscle and achilles. He’ll be replaced in the squad by in-form quick Michael Neser, but it means Scott Boland will almost certainly come into the settled starting XI – though the aforementioned has been in scintillating County form.

Scott Boland, pictured training with the Aussie side on June 5 at The Oval, may come in for the final in place of injured quick Josh Hazlewood

The bowling quarter of Boland, Mitchell Starc, skipper Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon will relish bowling on a pitch similar to what they’re used to Down Under.  The batting line-up remains settled, and should be able to cover for Alex Carey and David Warner, who have been in poor five-day form.  

India are missing several key stars for the final, with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant still laid up after his horror car crash in December last year. Superstar quick Jasprit Bumrah and batters Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are also out due to injury.

Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane will return to the Test arena for the first time in more than 18 months; and his inclusion will shore up what has been a shaky middle-order at times.

Cheteswar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have tormented Aussie bowlers for many years, and will bear a huge burden of the batting stocks. The pace trio of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are locked in, but it remains to be seen whether both of India’s spin stars (Ravi Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin) will both play given the batting desperately needs to be shored up. 

How did the teams qualify?

Australia were easily the top-ranked side in the two-year cycle, notching 11 win, five draws and just three losses from their 19 eligible Tests for 66.67 per cent of possible points. 

Aussie fans will remember the first series of the cycle well. It was a thumping 4-0 Ashes win Down Under, Cummins’ first series in charge after ex-skipper Tim Paine’s shock axing after his sexting scandal, with Justin Langer following him out the door months later. 

A gritty win against Pakistan and drawn series against Sri Lanka on the subcontinent was followed by thrashings over South Africa and West Indies Down Under. A solitary draw against India in February and March was enough for Australia, but a nine-wicket win in the final match sealed it.   

Steve Smith, pictured batting in the last Test of the recent Australia v India series, and his Aussie teammates secured the WTC Final appearance after winning the third match

Ravindra Jadeja (left) and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma celebrate a wicket in that series, where they secured their spot in the final thanks to a couple of other results going their way as well

India only managed to secure the second spot after their strong performance against Australia in their recent series on the subcontinent and thanks to an astonishing result in their favour.

New Zealand beat Sri Lanka on the last ball of a match in March, denying the island nation the chance of playing in the final, and securing India’s spot after Sharma’s men managed strong performances against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Losses to England and South Africa, both away, hurt their chances, but thanks to results going their way they will line up in the final on 58.5 per cent. 

Who will umpire?

New Zealander Chris Gaffaney and England’s Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires for the clash. 

The highly-respected Richard Kettleborough will be the TV umpire, and West Indies great Richie Richardson is the match referee. 

Who is expected to win?

Bet Right odds: Australia: $1.96, Draw: $5.50, India: $2.75. 

Australia are marginally the favourites currently, according to betting company BetRight, and in the Draw No Bet option (money refunded if clash is a draw), the Aussies are $1.68, and India $2.18.

Labuschagne ($10) and Cummins ($9) are good value to nab Man of the Match honours, with Gill ($13) and Shami ($13) likely to be crucial if India get up. A Labuschagne century in the first innings ($5) also looks tasty, too. 

What are the burning questions ahead of the final?

Can David Warner finally get some runs in England?

The under-fire Aussie has looked well off the pace in recent years, and no more so than in England, where he averages just 26, well down from his career average in the mid-40s. 

His nightmare 2019 Ashes series saw him average just 9.5, and he was dismissed by Broad seven times in 10 innings, primarily by bowling around the wicket. 

India did that brilliant in their recent series against Warner, with Mohammed Shami employing those tactics to perfection as the veteran managed just 26 runs from three innings. They say to never write off a champion, but it’s hard to see how he turns it around after such a long history of poor form in England. 

David Warner had a miserable 2019 Ashes series in England, managing just 95 runs from 10 innings. Can India repeat what Broad managed to do in the final?

How much will the Dukes ball play a role?

Aussie players use Kookaburra balls and Indian players use the SG – so the English-made Dukes is a departure from normality somewhat. It has a more pronounced seam, and is ideal for seam and swing bowling in overcast English conditions. It is also more durable than the other two, also suiting fast bowling.

That gives Australia’s famed pace attack an edge, and Scott Boland, who used the Dukes ball extensively in both Sheffield Shield and County cricket, said he knows it will suit his metronomic-type bowling. 

‘I’ve spoken to (Cummins) about the ball, how he holds it, and what he’s thinking when it’s moving so far,’ Boland said.

‘He also said you don’t need to chase wickets. If the conditions are in your favour and you don’t get a wicket in one spell, the ball will still be moving so you’ll be every chance in your next spell.’

Can the ‘next big thing’ Shubman Gill be a match-winner? 

The 23-year-old prodigy has been phenomenal in limited-overs cricket, with a double century against New Zealand in an ODI making him the youngest person to do so, before he then scored his maiden T20 century against the Kiwis.

Replacing KL Rahul as opener, Gill (who still averages ‘just’ 33 in Tests) proved his mettle in India’s final Test against Australia in March, notching 128 on a terrible pitch.

He’s also been in brilliant IPL form, with his 890 runs in the tournament just gone second to only Kohli as the most-ever in a season.

Absolutely he can be a match-winner, and he can take the game away from the Aussies quick-smart if he is not contained. 

Can Shubman Gill’s brilliant IPL form (he is celebrating a century for the Titans against Mumbai on May 26) continue in the WTC final

Can India’s pace attack cover the loss of Jasprit Bumrah?

Without Bumrah, only the inconsistent Umesh Yadav has a bowling average under 25 in England, and that’s only from two Tests. Siraj (33), Shami (40), Thakur (33) and Ashwin (28) have all historically struggled in the UK, with Bumrah’s brilliant swing and seam movement often covering any deficiencies.

A lot rests of the shoulders Shami, who produced some brilliant spells in the recent series in India. 

Will Pat Cummins’ record in England prove the difference? 

With Bumrah’s absence, Australia has the clear edge in the bowling department, and no more so than skipper Pat Cummins. 

He was superb in the side’s 2019 Ashes campaign in England, taking 29 wickets from five matches at an average of just 19, and at the paltry economy rate of 2.7. His nip off the seam and ability to get steepling bounce from a quick Oval wicket is more relentlessly consistent than any other bowler in Test cricket.

He can tear through the shaky and inpatient Indian middle and lower order if Starc, Lyon and Boland/Neser are applying even nominal pressure at the other end.