Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja criticized India’s preparation for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia. On the first day of the match at the Oval, India struggled as Travis Head scored a century and Steve Smith provided strong support, leading Australia to a total of 327 for the loss of three wickets.
Raja expressed his concern about India’s performance, stating that they should have played warm-up matches to adapt to the conditions. He believed that the lack of preparation could be detrimental to India’s chances in the final.
Raja questioned why India did not arrange any practice games before the WTC Final, especially considering the challenging transition from sub-continent conditions to the colder climate. He emphasized the importance of acclimatization, suggesting that even playing a few one-day matches could have helped them adjust. Raja highlighted the differences in weather and pitch conditions, which require both batsmen and bowlers to make necessary adjustments.
At the end of the first day, Travis Head and Steve Smith remained unbeaten at 146 and 95 runs respectively, contributing to Australia’s impressive score. The duo formed an unbroken partnership of 251 runs for the fourth wicket. They were bowled out for 469 on Day 2.