The 2023 edition of ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final between India and Australia is all set to get underway on June 7 at the Oval in London.
Ahead of the marquee clash, India’s seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur has said that the WTC final is "once-in-a-lifetime moment" and he is keen to make it count.
Meanwhile, India’s team composition is a major topic of debate. While some experts feel that India should go with two spinners and three pacers in their playing XI, a few of them have opined that playing four fast bowlers is the way to go in English conditions.
It remains to be seen if Thakur, who has played three Tests in England so far, makes it to the playing XI.
"I feel that ICC event, finals especially, you don't get to play them everywhere each and every year, so it's, for a few players or somebody like me, a once-in-a-lifetime moment," Thakur told the ICC.
"All that I want is to make it count. It's always a special moment when you're representing your country — especially India, when there's a billion people out there who dream of playing for the nation and only the best 15 have been chosen to represent the country," he added.
During the tour of England in 2021, India won the Oval Test by 157 runs and Shardul Thakur played a key role in it. He scored twin half-centuries (57 and 60) and picked up three wickets.
"It's always good to remember your previous performances on a particular ground, but every game is a fresh start. It's different opponents this time around, but yeah it's always good to take motivation from what you've done in the past on a particular ground," he said.
Thakur highlighted the importance of maximising the batting conditions in England when the sun is out since bowlers get plenty of advantage in overcast conditions.
"I think England is challenging because the weather here is a bit funny. When the sun's out it is good for batting, when it's overcast it's good for bowling, so the toss hardly matters, it's all about the cloud cover.
"Obviously the pitch also plays an important role, but we've seen in the past that whenever there's cloud cover the ball suddenly starts swinging and you can't really predict how much the ball is going to move, so that's one of the biggest challenges that a batter faces," he said.
"When it's not swinging, England (has) also got the best pitches to bat on, so it becomes equally tough for bowlers. Even in the helpful conditions it's sort of important to find the right length to nick a batter off or hit his pads, so this is a country that's challenging," Shardul added.
(With ANI Inputs)
