Dinesh Karthik picks Cheteshwar Pujara as India’s trump card for the WTC final

Dinesh Karthik has picked Cheteshwar Pujara as India’s trump card for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Oval in London, starting June 7. Karthik reckons that the senior batter will have a big role to play in the ultimate Test.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik said:

“For me the key for India to do well in the WTC final and if they wanna cross the line, it’s gonna be Cheteshwar Pujara.”

For the uninitiated, Pujara has a wealth of experience playing for Sussex in England. The 35-year-old recently amassed 545 runs in County Championship division two, including three hundreds.

Pujara also loves playing against Australia, he has amassed 2,033 runs in 24 Tests at an average of 50.83, including five tons and 11 half-centuries. He, however, managed just 140 runs in six innings during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, including a solitary half-century.

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“He is batting brilliantly and I am very sure he’ll have a good score” – Dinesh Karthik on Virat Kohli ahead of WTC final

Dinesh Karthik reckons that Virat Kohli will continue to shine with the bat in WTC final after a sensational IPL season. The wicketkeeper-batter credited his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate for his consecutive centuries in the last two group-stage games against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans (GT).

The cricketer-cum-commentator said:

“He [Virat Kohli] batted well right from the start. In the first game, he got a 70 against Mumbai Indians. He was looking top-notch, and right at the back end of the IPL. He showed his class. The two hundreds that he got is phenomenal. He is batting brilliantly and I am very sure he’ll have a good score.”

Virat Kohli finished with 639 runs in 14 games, including two tons and four-half-centuries in IPL 2023.

Like Pujara, Kohli also loves to dominate Australia, amassing 1979 runs in 24 Tests, including eight centuries. He recently smashed 186 against the Aussies during the fourth Test of the BGT, which India won 2-1 earlier this year.