‘I’m backing India to out-bat Australia’ - Sunil Gavaskar backs India’s lower order to fire in WTC final

Following the end of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, several Indian and Australian players will be travelling to London to begin their preparations for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final, which is scheduled to start from June 7.

Recently, both India and Australia took each other on in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, which saw India retain the trophy by winning the series 2-1. Continuing on the same, former India batter Sunil Gavaskar is of the opinion that India would look to out bat Australia in the WTC final. Furthermore, he also opined that the side’s ability to bat down the order could come in handy.

Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel were fabulous for India with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Axar finished as one of the leading run-getters of the series and the performances of India's lower order could prove to be crucial once again when they take on the Kangaroos on June 7.

"I’m backing India to out-bat Australia because if you look at the Indian batting lineup, at number 8, we have (Ravichandran) Ashwin, who has five Test hundreds, and The Oval is generally a very good pitch to bat on. You win the toss, put up a big score on the first two days, then you don’t have to bat in the second innings," Gavaskar told Star Sports.

 It will help them adjust to the conditions: Gavaskar

Continuing upon the same, Gavaskar also advised the Indian players who do not qualify for the play-offs to travel to England early, as this in turn could help them get accustomed to conditions in London, which could provide an edge in the match.

"I know the IPL finishes on May 28, and the Test starts on June 7. I’d like to see those players from the teams who haven’t qualified to go to England a bit earlier, maybe even play against club sides. It will help them adjust to the conditions," Gavaskar said.