Did Virat Kohli Drop Major Hint Regarding Potential First-choice Pacers For WTC Final?
Indian skipper Virat Kohli has dropped a massive hint regarding potential first-choice pacers for the much-anticipated World Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand. Kohli took to his official social media handle to post a picture with Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj and Ishant Sharma with a caption that read, "These quicks are dominating everyday", suggesting their potential inclusion in the playing XI for the WTC final. The Indian team recently finished their intra-squad match simulation in Southampton, where Sharma finished as leader of the pack with a bowling figure of 3/36. While Mohammed Siraj has been included in the Indian squad on the basis of some impressive Test performances against Australia and England, experienced campaigner Ishant Sharma is a proven specialist and will likely feature in the WTC final XI. Siraj has produced some mind-bowling spells ever since his Test debut down under earlier this year and will be raring to go if he gets a chance to play in the first-ever WTC final. Shardul Thakur is one player who could replace Siraj in the playing XI simply because of his batting ability, otherwise, the Hyderabad bowler will likely be Kohli's first-choice pacer. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are expected to assume their roles as lead Team India bowlers in the WTC final. WTC final  Team India is currently in the United Kingdom to participate in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The WTC final will be played between June 18 and June 22 in Southampton at the famous Ageas Bowl Stadium. The ICC has already announced that if the match ends in a draw both teams will be declared joint winners of the first-ever WTC final. A reserve day has been kept as a precautionary measure against rain in case a day of play is lost. The ICC on Monday said the winning team of the WTC final will receive prize money of $1.2 million, while the runners-up will get $8,00,000. India Squad for the tour of England: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha. (Image Credit: PTI)