India will play the finals of the World Test Championship in June against Australia. The men in blue have a lot of injury issues. Hence, there would be a few spots that would still be open for competition. Since it is a one-off game, the team management might also not hold back to make a few experiments. On that note, here, we take a look at three Indians who could surprisingly get selected for WTC 2023 Final squad.
1) Umran Malik
With Jasprit Bumrah injured, Team India has space to take a fresh pacer to England. Umran Malik is one name that will surely be discussed by many.
Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav will certainly occupy three spots. The likes of Jaydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur might compete for the other spot. Only Shami and Siraj have some decent experience in England and hence, it would not be a surprise if India adds some raw pace to the line-up.
2) Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya is one of the Indians who could surprisingly get selected for the WTC 2023 Final squad. It has been a while since Hardik Pandya has played in Tests. However, if he is bowling well, he would be a worthy player to have in the squad.
Most importantly, India would have an extra all-round option in the setup. If he is fit, India could afford to have him play in the middle-order while also giving Rohit Sharma an extra pace option.
3) Ajinkya Rahane
Due to his back issue, Shreyas Iyer is unlikely to play in the WTC 2023 Final. Rishabh Pant is unavailable while KL Rahul is severely out of form. Suryakumar Yadav is not proven in red-ball cricket at the highest level while it would be a big risk to have players like Hanuma Vihari or Sarfaraz Khan play at this spot.
Yes, he might have been dropped but Rahane could be a decent bit. He has the experience and he has been active in domestic cricket ever since he was dropped. Therefore, he can enter the discussions between the selectors.
