India will resume their decade-long hunt for an ICC trophy when they take on Australia in the final of the World Test Championship at The Oval next week.
For the second straight Test cycle, India have qualified for the championship match in red-ball cricket, having lost the previous title match to New Zealand. The south Asian giants have not won a major trophy for 10 years, their last one being the 2013 Champions Trophy, and will be hoping to end the drought.
They should expect a bruising encounter with Australia, who put up a tremendous fight in the recent Border Gavaskar Trophy in India and narrowly lost the series 2-1.
The Aussies will be relying on their pace attack to unsettle the Indian batsmen, many of whom have only just turned up for Test cricket after the conclusion of the IPL.
Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood made the cut, having cut short his IPL campaign last month after reporting "minor side soreness". The 32-year-old is part of potent attack that includes captain Pat Cummins, Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc.
India will be without star pace Jasprit Bumrah, who has ben battling a long-term back injury, while wicketkeeper batsman KL Rahul is also injured.
The final will take place at The Oval in London from Wednesday, June 7. After the match, Australia go straight into the Ashes series against England with the first Test starting at Edgbaston on June 16.
Apart from the world title and Test mace, the two finalists will also be fighting for a big chunk of the prize money on offer. Below is a breakdown of the cash reward that awaits the two finalists, and the other Test teams for the current cycle.
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New Zealand's captain Kane Williamson with the Test mace after defeating India in the World Test Championship final in Southampton. AFP -
Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson guided New Zealand to victory in World Test Championship final against India in Southampton on Wednesday, June 23. Getty -
New Zealand's captain Kane Williamson guided his team to victory on day six of the World Test Championship final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. AFP -
India fans in the stands cheer their team in Southampton. PA -
India's Ravichandran Ashwin, left, and teammates celebrate the dismissal of New Zealand's Devon Conway. AP -
India's Mohammed Shami, left, reacts in Southampton on Wednesday .AP -
New Zealand's Tim Southee, left, celebrates with teammates the dismissal of India's Mohammed Shami. AP -
New Zealand's Ross Taylor takes a catch to dismiss India's Ravichandran Ashwin off the bowling of Trent Boult. Reuters -
Trent Boult picked up three wickets in the second innings. Getty -
New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson, right, celebrates the dismissal of India's captain Virat Kohli. AP
World Test Championship 2023 prize money
All nine Test-playing teams will get a share of the $3.8 million purse for the 2021-23 cycle. Apart from the finalists, the rest of the teams will get their share according to the position they finished on the points table.
1. Winners (India / Australia): $1.6 million
2. Runners-up: $800,000
3. South Africa: $450,000
4. England: $350,000
5. Sri Lanka: $200,000
6. New Zealand: $100,000
7. Pakistan: $100,000
8. West Indies: $100,000
9. Bangladesh: $100,000
