The World Test Championship is just 10 days away and we cannot wait for the action to begin. Will India make history in England or will New Zealand shatter millions of Indian dreams all over again?
The game is going to commence on 18 June at Southampton. This is Cricwizz's probable XI but do you reckon how these players fared at Southampton last time? Let's find out!
Rohit Sharma
The hitman would be looking forward to the final and would hope that he delivers in every possible way. The first time Rohit Sharma played at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton was in 2014 and it wasn't a performance that he would proud of.
Sharma will have to be focused as to how will he deal with the Kiwi speedsters, with the likes of Trent Boult and others to cause problems, especially with the ball.
However, if Sharma gets through the first session with ease then it will not be a good sign for the Kiwis but Rohit will have to cautious with the swing and bounce that is persistent trouble for every bowler around.
Shubman Gill
The youngster impressed everyone with his strokes in Australia but is yet to play in Southampton. Gill has shown his maturity in crucial stages of the game and thus, this game will also be a challenge for the youngster, not only to win everyone's hearts again but to stay at the crease as long as he can and put vital runs on the board.
Cheteshwar Pujara
The modern-day Rahul Dravid is going to be an integral part of the Indian squad as he hopes to continue to cherish his past performances at the Rose Bowl.
His calm and cool batting always leads the team into the light but like Sharma, he will also have to be wary of the swing bowlers. He is India's second-best batsman when it comes to delivering at the Rose Bowl and he is also the only player from India's Probable XI to have scored an unbeaten ton. Who is first here?
Virat Kohli
The skipper has been a part of two test matches at Southampton and has the most runs on the board for India at this venue. King Kohli hasn't been at his absolute best for a while now but what better than successfully lead his team to the World Test Championship trophy?
He has a lot of responsibility in his hands and amidst this pandemic, Indians would be hoping that happened with the rest.
Ajinkya Rahane
After successfully captaining the Indian side to a historic conquest in Australia, a lot of eyes will be on Rahane as well. Rahane has also featured at the Rose Bowl twice before and has done handsomely well with the ball in these innings.
He will have to take care of the Indian middle order as well as the English conditions haven't been the best for Indian batsmen in the past.
What do you think? Will the Vice-captain play a big part in India's test in the finals.
Rishabh Pant
India's young sensation, Pant will be featuring in his second-ever Test match at Southampton. Should Pant play his natural game? Or should he try a more orthodox approach? The question still has numerous answers for it.
However, what the Indians would hope is that he projects his side of a matured batsman and adapts his game keeping in mind the situation the team is in.
One of the approaches that New Zealand would try to use on Pant is by tempting him to commit errors by engaging him into a rash shot, something Pant tends to do very frequently.
Since we have covered all the batsmen from the probable XI, let's get into details about the numbers of the Indian batsmen at Southampton.
| Batsman | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Highest Score |
| Rohit Sharma | 1 | 34 | 17 | 38.20 | 28 |
| Shubman Gill | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 2 | 163 | 54.33 | 49.54 | 132* |
| Virat Kohli | 2 | 171 | 42.75 | 51.50 | 58 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 2 | 168 | 56 | 41.27 | 54 |
| Rishabh Pant | 1 | 18 | 9 | 43.90 | 18 |
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja has been putting up some staggering numbers in all the departments of the game for quite some time now. His contribution with both, the ball and bat has been very significant for the team.
Jadeja has played just one game at the Rose Bowl and has scored 46 runs, with an average of 23 and a strike rate of 48.42. However, his numbers in the viewing department are exorbitant as well.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin as well has some cherishable knocks with both, his bat and ball. Ashwin had scored 26 runs in his only game, with an average of 13 and a strike rate of 60.46.
In the bowling department too, Ashwin's influence is immense. The team would be hoping that the pitch had a show turn in it that could help both the Indian all-rounders.
Ishant Sharma
Sharma has been a must in every bowling spell for India since his return. He hasn't played more than a game at Southampton but his record in England makes him a vital asset for the Indian team.
Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah too is very crucial to India and their bowling attack and his inputs will be crucial to get rid of the likes of Kane Williamson and others, who are very confident with the bat.
Bumrah would hope to swing the ball too much as he has but hidden his affection for the Dukes that swings more than the SG ball used in India. (For a detailed analysis on the types of balls used, click here.)
Mohammad Shami
Mohammad Shami has been India's spearhead, especially having played a game more than the rest of the probable XI bowlers in the lineup.
In both the games, Shami has contributed with everything he's got and he would pray that he lights up his confidence again after some, unfortunately, lost years from the past.
Let's now see the bowling statistics of the Indian bowlers at The Rose Bowl.
| Bowler | Matches | Wickets | Maidens | Average | Economy |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 1 | 5 | 11 | 41 | 3.63 |
| Ravi Ashwin | 1 | 3 | 10 | 41.33 | 2.39 |
| Ishant Sharma | 1 | 4 | 10 | 15.50 | 2.00 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 1 | 4 | 8 | 24.25 | 2.48 |
| Mohammad Shami | 2 | 7 | 6 | 36.42 | 3.59 |
Who do you think will be amongst the top performers in the World Test Championship final? Will it be the bowlers or the batsmen to produce a masterclass?
Let us know your thoughts and reach us via Instagram and Twitter. Stay Tuned for more updates.
