India vs Australia: Ravichandran Ashwin Dropped from the Playing XI

As expected, India have opted for four pacers in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia at the Oval. Ravichandran Ashwin has been left out of the playing XI, with Umesh Yadav chosen as the fourth pacer. The decision between the two leading up to the WTC was always a toss-up. With the pitch at Oval providing an advantage for pacers over spinners, Rohit Sharma decided to go with the extra pace of Umesh.

Exploiting the Conditions

The conditions being overcast, and offering a bit of swing and seam movement, Umesh Yadav’s skills are expected to be more useful than Ashwin’s. With India already having Jadeja in the playing XI, head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit wanted to make the most of the Oval conditions by going all-out with the pace attack. Mohammed Siraj, Shami, and Shardul Thakur are the other three pacers besides Umesh.

Star-Studded Commentary Panel

The WTC Final will be broadcast live, with Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly headlining the star-studded commentary panel.

Conclusion

India have opted for an all-pace attack for the WTC Final against Australia. Ravichandran Ashwin has been left out, with Umesh Yadav chosen as the fourth pacer. The conditions at the Oval are expected to favour the pacers, which is why India have chosen to go with four pacers in the playing XI. The match will be broadcast live, with a star-studded commentary panel.