ICC World Test Championship Final: “India Should Have At Least Had Inter-Squad Matches Before This”

Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja questioned India’s preparation for the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Oval in London. Ramiz Raja stated that the Rohit Sharma-led team should’ve played in practice matches in England to acclimatize to the conditions.

India reached England for the WTC final just a few days before the match. The Indian players travelled to the country after the completion of their matches in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). All the players joined together after the final match of the IPL 2023, which ended on May 29.

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In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Ramia Raza highlighted that sub-continent teams need time to acclimatize to the cold conditions.

“One-off Tests are difficult to assess what you have to do. A team comes from sub-continent conditions to these cold climates, and have to adjust in 5-6 days. That too, without even playing a game,” Raja said.

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“I don’t understand. This is the WTC Final, India should have at least had inter-squad matches before this. Even if you had played 3-4 one-day matches, you get acclimatized to the conditions,” he added.

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Bowlers Also Need To Adjust Their Lines And Lengths – Ramiz Raja

The former Pakistan skipper pointed out that bowlers need enough time to adjust the line and length from T20 cricket to the longer format of the game.

“It’s overcast, the pitch conditions are quite different. You want to have adjustment. Bowlers also need to adjust their lines and lengths here. After four overs in IPL, you have to bowl 17 here in a day. The body needs rest,” he added further.

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Josh Hazlewood, who was ruled out of the WTC final, played only three matches in the IPL 2023. David Warner and Cameron Green were part of their respective franchises throughout the tournament this season. Pat Cummins opted out of IPL action to keep him fresh for the English summer.

Also read: WTC Final: He Has Got Nothing To Prove Anymore… – Farokh Engineer On Comparisons Between Shubman Gill And Virat Kohli

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