The Australian team on paper holds slight advantage on a bouncy track at The Oval but both Ravi Shastri and Ricky Ponting believe that the Indians are better prepared.
In the first Chennai Test against Bangladesh, Pant scored a magnificent century and returned to Test side with a bang.
'To date, they've been fantastic in how they've continued to play all three formats of the game. Their commitment to Test cricket... I don't think it has ever been as strong as it is now'
Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch said that Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant, two left-handed wicketkeeper-batters will be extremely important for their respective sides during the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
Shubman Gill is all set to open with Rohit Sharma after he was named in India's 15-man squad for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, in Southampton, from June 18.
Panesar also expects the ICC to prepare a neutral wicket and not a green top as the WTC is supposed to be a good advert for the five-day game.
The ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand in Southampton will be held in the presence of 4000 spectators, Hampshire County Club head Rod Bransgrove said.
Virat Kohli-led India beat New Zealand by 372 runs in the Mumbai Test on the fourth day after drawing the opening match in Kanpur, to win the series 1-0.
The decline in Kohli's Test batting average is particularly alarming. It has now plummeted to an eight-year low of 48.74.
If India goes on to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship title, it could prove to be the watershed moment for the revival of the longest format just like the 2007 World T20 triumph did for the popularity of the shortest format, said Cheteshwar Pujara.
Ricky Ponting believes that India will play both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in the World Test Championship final against Australia, starting June 7.
New Zealand pacer Trent Boult is hopeful that achieving game fitness rather than bowling in the nets will put him in 'good stead' in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final against India.
Virat Kohli entertains team-mates ahead of the WTC final clash.
Ashwin spoke about how WTC has provided a context to Test cricket and would love to see more traditional format games in neutral venues.
The 51-year-old Dravid's tenure as Head Coach ended with this T20 World Cup triumph. Dravid was appointed India coach in 2021.
Outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid expressed his confidence in India's ability to win their first ICC trophy in over a decade
Rohit cops blow on left thumb day before WTC final
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the third Test against Australia in Brisbane?
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to release the 'Playing Conditions' for the WTC final. Also, before boarding the flight to London, for the England tour, every male and female member needs to carry six RT-PCR negative results.
Quarantine restrictions might hamper the Indian team's preparations for next month's ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand but bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar feel that the players' abundant experience will be enough to counter that challenge.
Kane Williamson's team became Test cricket's first official world champions
Warner has also taken aim at his Ashes nemesis England veteran pacer Stuart Broad, implying that he will not be the force that derailed the opening batter's 2019 trip this time.
'The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.'
Ricky Ponting advised star batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to stop trying hard to rediscover their best and pushing themselves too hard and just focus on watching the ball and scoring runs.
The seeds of India's defeat were sown in Melbourne, where Bumrah had to bowl 53.2 overs -- 24.4 in the second innings on the back of 28.4 in the first innings. With just three days to recover, that was an inhuman burden on a bowler who had bowled 151 overs in this series.
Former wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel said India have all the 'bases covered' for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, to be played in Southampton from June 18 to 22.
India head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday said the ICC World Test Championship final should be a best-of-three affair in the long run and not a one-off match like his side is set to play against New Zealand in the inaugural edition.
Yuvraj feels India needs someone with Rohit's expertise to lead the Indian team at the marquee event.
'Virat Kohli is getting into the groove ahead of the #WTC23 Final'.
What went wrong for India in the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand?
The Meteorological (MeT) department of the UK has predicted a 30 per cent chance of precipitation during the afternoon,
India's fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar ruled out the possibility of a change in the playing XI after the opening day of the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand was washed out.
When you are defending to save a game, a loose delivery comes along and you suddenly opt to play an attacking shot, you are unlikely to hit as well as if you were playing your naturally aggressive game all along. First Pant, then Jaiswal, found that out the costly way, observes Prem Panicker.
Rishabh Pant may not be on the field for the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval, but that hasn't stopped him from closely following the match.
'What you've really got to try and get is something that's less complex and a bit more straightforward in order for people to understand.'
The top two teams with most points as of April 30, 2021 will then contest in the WTC final in June 2021 in the UK.
'I know Indian conditions quite well, the turf is a little bit more red here and in terms of that, it is generally a more spinning condition. So, expecting the ball to spin more than the first Test'
'Pathum Nissanka is easily one of the best batters to have come out of Sri Lanka in the recent past and he has delivered once again,' he tweeted with an applause emoji.
'The batting has been the one which has caused us problems every time we go overseas. Why is it happening?'
Australia's decision to pull out of next month's three-Test tour in South Africa due to the COVID-19 pandemic is "extremely disappointing" considering the hosts had put in place a number of safety measures, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Tuesday.
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