Can Rohit Sharma Lead Team India to their First WTC Trophy?

The WTC final marked the culmination of a two-year cycle of Test cricket, where teams accumulated points from bilateral Test series to qualify for the final. The second edition of WTC will witness India and Australia coming face to face for the final game at the Oval on 7th June.

In the first edition, Team India witnessed an unfortunate loss against New Zealand in the final game. Team India was devastated and witnessed major changes in management and leadership. Virat Kohli resigned from the leadership of Test captaincy after losing a series against South Africa in January 2022. Rahul Dravid has taken on the new role as the coach of Team India and Rohit Sharma became the new leading man for the team. 

With these big changes in the team and management, team India is back in the finals and will face ferocious Australia at the Oval. Team India and Australia always had a rivalry because of the quality of players the two countries have produced.

In the past, Rohit Sharma has had considerable success as a captain in limited-overs cricket. He has led the Indian team in several bilateral series and tournaments, including the Asia Cup and the Nidahas Trophy, both of which India won under his captaincy. Rohit has also captained the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), leading them to multiple IPL titles. However, getting the responsibility of the team as a full-time captain and for all the formats of the game is a different thing altogether.

The upcoming final will be his first ICC tournament final and the expectations are high as team India has not won any ICC title in the last 9 years. The biggest question is, can Rohit Sharma do the unthinkable for Indian cricket this year?

WTC Final: Good Batting Depth

Team India has exhibited impressive batting depth in recent years across all formats of the game. They boast a strong line-up that combines experienced campaigners with talented youngsters. Even though Rohit Sharma has struggled with his form, he has partners in crime like Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara who have shown a masterclass in recent years. Gill has come out as the most dependable opening batter for team India and Virat Kohli’s comeback to his old form has been phenomenal. Pujara has shown a promising performance with his calm and composed style of cricket. In the middle order, Ajinkya Rahane will be responsible to play some masterstroke and helping team India to reach a big score. Ravindra Jadeja will be at the lower end to play a cameo role for his team with his bat.

WTC Final: Promising Bowling Attack

With the absence of Jasprit Bumrah in the bowling attack, team India is depending on Mohammed Shami to take responsibility for the action and give a good start against the Australian powerhouse. He will be supported by Mohammed Siraj as his right-hand man. Shami has been promising in the IPL recently and has turned out to be the most effective pacer on foreign pitches. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will be responsible for the deadly spin attack. The duo has bowled some magical spells in the past and without a doubt, they will be a big fear for the Australian batters at the Oval.

Rohit Sharma has every tool with him to dominate the WTC Final against Australia. He has displayed a calm and composed personality and he is known to make positive decisions in pressured situations. Rohit Sharma and his army are well prepared for the final game of the second edition of the WTC championship and the hopes are high to lift the first trophy.