India needed to win the last Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy to qualify straightaway for the final of the World Test Championship. They could only salvage a draw, and yet they qualified for the final, thanks to a thrilling victory of New Zealand over Sri Lanka.

This is going to be the second consecutive WTC final for India, having lost on the first occasion to Kane Williamson’s New Zealand. A lot has changed in these two years. Ajinkya Rahane’s Test career is all but over, Ishant Sharma is no longer in the race, and Rishabh Pant is still recovering from the horrific accident. But the biggest absence will of Jasprit Bumrah, who is out for a significant period of time due to injury. 

We take a look at how the playing XI might look like, when they take on Australia in the WTC final, starting on 7 June.

Openers: Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill

The opening combination will be the same as the last one. Rohit Sharma will be paired with the young prodigy Shubman Gill, who replaced KL Rahul in the middle of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series, and then justified his selection with a brilliant hundred in the Ahmedabad Test. It’s safe to say that Rahul is no longer in contention, despite being one of the prolific run-scorers last time when India toured England.

Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer

India must be relieved to see Virat Kohli ending his three-year-long century drought in Ahmedabad. Kohli had looked comfortable on quite a few occasions in the series, but had failed to play an innings of note until the last game. He will be joined by Cheteshwar Pujara, who is now running on borrowed time. 

Pujara didn’t manage anything substantial across four Tests versus Australia, and even on the Ahmedabad pitch, which was the easiest for batting, he couldn’t play a big innings. India won’t be playing any Test series till December, and thus his performance in the final of the WTC will go a long way in determining his future. 

Shreyas Iyer will complete the middle-order lineup for the team. Iyer got injured and missed the final session of the Ahmedabad Test, but he is expected to return in less than a month, and will be leading Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. 

Wicket-Keeper: KS Bharat

KS Bharat has earned the vote of confidence from the Indian team management, and he is likely to retain his place for the all-important clash at the Oval. Ishan Kishan is also in the fray, but he is unlikely to break into playing XI. 

All-Rounders: Shardul Thakur & Ravindra Jadeja

Shardul Thakur will be back in contention to start the game as the only fast-bowling all-rounder in the team. Thakur has a knack for conjuring wickets when all doors appeared to be closed, and he is good with the bat as well. Ravindra Jadeja, as usual, will be preferred over R Ashwin in English conditions because of his batting ability.

Bowlers: Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

India will sorely miss the presence of Jasprit Bumrah. In his absence, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj will be spearheading the pace attack. Both of them have a proven track record, and will be eager to share the new ball responsibility. The biggest headache will be picking the third pacer, and as of now, Jaydev Unadkat is the frontrunner to claim that place.