Sunil Gavaskar has chosen KL Rahul to be the wicket-keeper in his preferred lineup for the World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final against Australia, instead of KS Bharat, who is also part of the 15-member squad.
The WTC final will commence on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Kennington Oval in London. Gavaskar has also included captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as the opening batsmen, while KL Rahul has been placed at the sixth batting position.
Additionally, Chesteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli were automatic selections for the third and fourth batting spots, respectively, and Ajinkya Rahane, who made a comeback, will retain his usual batting position at number five.
Opting for a spin-heavy approach, the 73-year-old has chosen Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin as the two spinners in the squad. Meanwhile, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj have been selected as the pace bowling options.
Regarding Rahane’s inclusion in the team, Gavaskar mentioned that it was perhaps the only necessary change required. He emphasized that Rahane’s selection was not solely based on his IPL 2023 performance, but also his decent run in the Ranji Trophy season for Mumbai.
Sunil Gavaskar’s Playing XI for the WTC Final : Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Chesteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
