Australia vs India Prediction & Betting Tips - World | ICC World Test Championship 2023 - Final

Prediction published on 05/06/2023, 07:45  by Devesh Jaganath

The two best test-playing nations in the world over the last two years, Australia and India, will battle it out for the ICC World Test Championship crown this week. This spectacle between the cricketing giants is set to get underway on Wednesday, June 7th, 2023, at The Oval. India qualified for the final after Sri Lanka failed to beat New Zealand in their opening match back in March. That came just after a 3-1 test series win over this opponent in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier in the year. Over their last six tests, India have won four, lost one, and drawn one, though it is worth noting that all of those matches were played in the subcontinent. Following the IPL competition, India have been hit with a few injury blows coming into this match, with KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Shreya Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah all confirmed to miss out here. Pant and Bumrah are the highest-ranked batsman and bowler, respectively, for India over the last two years. The neutral venue adds an extra twist to the plot, as the Indians have played a lot in the subcontinent over the last 12 months. Can the Men in Blue follow up a Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a World Test Championship triumph?

Meanwhile, Australia will arguably see playing at The Oval to be more similar to the conditions that they are used to and will feel that gives them a slight advantage. The Aussies confirmed their spot in this final when they managed their only win over India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in March. Ahead of that tournament, though, Australia were excellent in the longer format, whitewashing the West Indies and beating the Proteas 2-0 in a three-match test series at home. Australia have as many as four players ranked inside the top 10 test batsmen in the world, with Marnus Labuschagne leading the ranks as the best in the world over the last two years. Steve Smith is in third, while Travis Head and Usman Khawaja are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. Pat Cummins is third in the bowler standings, with Nathan Lyon in eighth. The major injury setback for the Baggy Greens is Josh Hazelwood, whose recovery has taken longer than expected. Scott Boland is expected to deputize in his absence. While this is a one-off test, Australia have a jam-packed schedule over the upcoming months. A win here will be exactly what they will feel they need going into the eagerly anticipated Ashes series in a week's time.