"It's certainly not a question of skill" - Matthew Hayden suggests Team India buy into the process for silverware 

Former Australian opening batter Matthew Hayden feels that Team India should focus on the process rather than the result to end their silverware drought. The Men in Blue are one win away from winning the World Test Championship (WTC), but they will have to topple a formidable Australian side in England for the coveted prize.

Team India's last triumph in an ICC event came during the 2013 Champions Trophy in England under MS Dhoni's command. Since then, they have been in the fray on numerous occasions, often entering tournaments as favorites but fizzling away during the business end of the event.

Urging Team India to just buy into the process much like the successful Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, Hayden said in an interview with PTI:

"It's certainly not a question of skill. So, it has to be a question of just the opportunity and the mindset going in. I mean, cricket is life here, it is the DNA of sport and has no other competitors.

Hayden continued:

"Being cautious about looking for the scoreboard and looking for the titles and just playing and being a part of the process, something when you look at franchise setups, Gujarat Titans have done really well this year and CSK have done very well. Mumbai Indians as well believe in a certain process. So, that would be my advice to Indian cricket to forget the outcomes, but buy into the process."

Team India have already departed for England in batches following the culmination of the league stage of the 2023 IPL.

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"Australia would've had huge advantage at Lord's but Oval will be 50-50" - Matthew Hayden

The final of the second cycle of the WTC was initially slated to be played at Lord's. However, the contest has been relocated to The Oval, where Australia have a shaky record in recent times.

The Aussies have won only two Tests at the venue since 1972, with the most recent outing resulting in a 135-run loss against England in the 2019 Ashes.

India, on the other hand, secured a historic win at The Oval during the five-match Test series against England in 2021.

Claiming the contest to be evenly matched due to the venue in question, Hayden said:

"Australia would've had huge advantage at Lord's but Oval will be 50-50, It's by tradition England's bounciest, more even surfaces. It doesn't favour the spinners, doesn't really favour the seamers so it's quite a neutral venue. It's nice to see them playing in that venue in particular, had it been at the Lord's, Australia would have had a huge advantage there."

Hayden also opined that Rishabh Pant would be a huge loss for Team India while he backed Ishan Kishan to make his Test debut in the WTC final.

"One of the big losses to Indian cricket right now is Rishabh Pant. If I was an Indian selector, I would certainly go with the more dynamic wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan, he also adds that bit of swagger to the batting line up and in the fielding unit as well," Hayden said.

India will take on Australia in the WTC final at The Oval from June 7 onwards.