Who Will Be Team India's X-Factor In WTC Final Vs Australia? Ricky Ponting Answers

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After the thrilling conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, cricket fans' attention will soon shift to the longer format of the game. Led by Rohit Sharma, the Indian team will regroup and head to London for the final of the ICC World Test Championship, which will begin on June 7 at the Oval. This much-anticipated face-off will see India, the runners-up in the previous edition, take on the mighty Australia on English soil. With just a couple of weeks remaining until the contest, discussions around team combinations, strengths, and weaknesses have already begun. The conversation sparked off when Ricky Ponting, the former Australian captain who is currently coaching the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, expressed his surprise at Suryakumar Yadav's exclusion from the Indian squad.

3rd fifty for Ishan Kishan, incredible knock in the run chase in a must win game, Mumbai on top in Lucknow. pic.twitter.com/7UFVCVYVQM

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The Indian team has been grappling with several injury concerns for quite some time. Players like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah have been sidelined, and the team management has been striving to find suitable replacements. Earlier this year, Suryakumar was given an opportunity as Iyer's replacement in the Nagpur Test against Australia, but he failed to solidify his place in the squad for the WTC final. Nevertheless, he was later named among the reserves, along with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Kumar.

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Ponting expressed his surprise at Suryakumar Yadav's omission but acknowledged that India still possesses a player of Rishabh Pant's caliber, whom he considers an 'X-factor' in the team.

“But there is another X-factor that has just been added in Ishan Kishan. If you look at the way he plays, he is probably the most like Rishabh Pant with his potential to keep and bat in the middle order. If they do play those guys they should be given the right to play an aggressive brand of cricket,” he explained.

Ishan Kishan has been included in the squad as a replacement for KL Rahul, who sustained a thigh injury during the ongoing IPL 2023 earlier this month. Ishan will serve as a backup wicketkeeper behind KS Bharat but is yet to make his Test debut.

“With the injury issues India have got, they can go with few different ways, especially in batting. Before Rahul’s injury I had him in the eleven, now that he is not there, they need to pick Ishan or K S Bharat," said the three-time ODI World Cup winner,” Ponting added.