Australia’s star batter Steve Smith has said that he is expecting batting-friendly conditions at The Oval for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India next week. He also warned his team that they could face India-like conditions as the game progresses.

Notably, the venue is known for producing good batting wickets and it also assists the spinners on the fourth and fifth day.

The Rohit Sharma-led side is expected to include frontline spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in their playing XI to make the most of the conditions.

“The Oval can present itself with some spin occasionally particularly as the game wears on so we could face some sort of similarities to what we had in India at certain stages of the game.

“But The Oval is a wonderful place to play cricket in. Lightning fast outfield, the square goes whole way across the ground so it is a nice place to bat when you get in and has some decent pace and bounce for an English surface. Should be an absolute cracker,” Smith told cricket.com.au.

Earlier this year, Australia lost the Test series to India 1-2. They struggled against the Indian spinners in the first two Tests and their spin game improved as the series progressed.

In Pat Cummins’ absence, Smith captained the Australian team in the last two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 and also led the side to win in Indore Test.

“The WTC is a great initiative. It gives every game we play a lot of relevance, and for us to have qualified on top and face India in the final is incredibly exciting. It is going to be India and us at the Oval.

“I am sure there will be plenty of fans out there, probably more Indian than Australian but I am sure it is going to be great fun and guys are looking forward to it,” he said.

Steve Smith played county cricket for Sussex as part of his preparation for the WTC final and subsequent Ashes series.

(With PTI Inputs)