Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma are all set to open for India in the World Test Championship Final starting June 18 in Southampton. With KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal also in the squad, there was interest among fans to know who would be India's top two in the Playing XI.
On Tuesday (June 15), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tweeted the 15-member squad that was picked from the full travelling contingent.
🗒️ #TeamIndia announce their 15-member squad for the #WTC21 Final 💪 👇 pic.twitter.com/ts9fK3j89t
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 15, 2021
India 15-man squad
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Chesteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Wriddhiman Saha
Three sleeps away from the BIG GAME. 👍👍
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 15, 2021
How excited are you? 🙌 🙌#WTC21 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/nqaI6cf33H
21-year-old Shubman has been in sublime form throughout the league amassing 378 runs in seven matches with the highest score of 91 against Australia at the Gabba.
View this post on Instagram
Shubman even scored 85 in the intra-squad practice match played in Southampton recently. Apart from Shubman, Rishabh Pant was also among the runs in that game, registering a century.
8⃣5⃣ runs on Day 2 of the intra-squad match simulation 👌🏻@RealShubmanGill showing all the right signs ahead of the #WTC final 💪🏽
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) June 12, 2021
📸 BCCI #INDvNZ #Test pic.twitter.com/CrzqKuQbCa
Shubman has played in English conditions before making his senior Team India debut. Despite not having much experience in the long format of the game, the right-handed batsman showed sublime form while touring with the India A side.
In the five list A matches, he has scored 273 runs at an average of 68.25, including three crucial half-centuries for his side.
The Indian team is on the threshold of carving their name in the record books by winning the first-ever World Test Championship and will need a strong performance from their openers to set the tone for them.
The bowling unit is bolstered by the inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja, who missed out on the last series against England at home with an injury.
View this post on Instagram
With the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma, the pace bowling unit looks formidable to dent the opposition and create inroads for the team.
New Zealand, meanwhile, fresh from a series win vs England, will be fielding the following squad for the WTC Final.
The @BLACKCAPS have named a 15-member squad for the #WTC21 Final 👇 pic.twitter.com/g2T4XNCrMW
— ICC (@ICC) June 15, 2021