LONDON: Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma said that his team will not repeat the mistakes of the inaugural World Test Championship Final, which they lost to New Zealand in Southampton two summers ago when they take on Australia in 2nd WTC final here at the The Oval tomorrow.
It will be redemption time for Rohit and his team in the one-off clash against the top-ranked team.
India will be without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and first-choice keeper Rishabh Pant due to injury, but Rohit believes his team can still pack a punch.
“We made a few mistakes in the previous final. We’ve already discussed about it,” Rohit said at The Oval on Tuesday.
“There are a few guys missing from that squad, but we are quite excited about the score as well and it is a good challenge to have.”
The Indian captain added that the final eleven will be decided until tomorrow following a final inspection of the pitch.
Weather is expected to be fine throughout the final.
While Rohit maintained a stoic silence on the playing XI, his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins revealed that seamer Scott Boland was his preferred choice over Michael Neser to replace injured Josh Hazlewood.
Boland went wicket-less during the first Test against India in Mohali last February, but Cummins exuded confidence. .
“He’s a seasoned pro and English conditions suit him. He hasn’t played a lot over here, but as a seam bowler he will be rewarded for just bowling in the good areas.”
(By Aminul Islam)
