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Cricket News: 3 reasons why Australia will beat India in the WTC Final | WTC 2023 Final prediction: Why Australia will win

Australia are all set to take on India in the summit clash of the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The Pat Cummins-led side are looking at the WTC game as well as the forthcoming Ashes as an opportunity to seal their legacy as one of the most successful Test sides in the country’s cricketing history.

They delivered some impressive performances in the subcontinent recently and have been almost flawless at home. The England tour thus holds a lot of stake for them, and here CricBlog predicts three reasons why they are the favourites to beat India in the upcoming match.

Why Australia will beat India in the WTC Final 2023

1. Better adaptability to red ball cricket

A large chunk of the Australian squad was not involved the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc had opted out citing international commitments. The likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne were involved in the County Championship, preparing for the matches to come.

There is not much room for error in a one-off final. The shock that comes with a quick change of formats might not hit the Australian team as hard. They can gradually get into the groove and look to get in front in the early stages of the showpiece clash. 

The Indian team will arguably be rustier due to their engagements in the IPL compared to their Australian counterparts.

2. Bowling attack better suited to English conditions

Australia’s bowling unit is perhaps better suited to the prevalent conditions at the Oval. The trio of Starc, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have been there, done that over in England many times together now. They are perfectly aware of exploiting the conditions and optimising the pitch and weather to their benefit. They can run circles around the Indian batting unit by striking together in tandem.

If Hazlewood isn’t picked, Scott Boland is more than capable of troubling the Indian lineup with his ability to hit consistent lengths and move the ball.

Compare that to the Indian bowling unit. There is still confusion around which bowler will feature in the final XI. Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, and Shardul Thakur are essentially battling it out for two bowling spots, confirming Australia have greater clarity with regards to who they will field in this match.

3. Meaty middle-order

The Australian middle-order is stacked with tremendous quality spearheaded by the duo Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Cameron Green adds all-round quality lower down the order but the aforementioned duo’s rich vein of form, coupled with richer experience in English conditions, means they could put up a run fest whenever they come out to bat.

Smith averages 55.95 with six centuries on English soil. Labuschagne is the number one ranked Test batsman in the world. Green has demonstrated terrific adaptability to different conditions in recent times. Travis Head can score rapidly, and Alex Carey will be looking to rebound after a difficult tour of India.

If this middle order gets going, they can put serious pressure on the Indian bowlers.

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