WTC final: Those playing in IPL 2023 have advantage in title clash, says Matthew Hayden

New Delhi: Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden believes India’s title drought in ICC events over the past decade has to come down to the mindset of the players as skill was never an issue and advised them to go for the World Test Championship final. Before ‘forget about the result’. Australia from June 7

India’s last ICC title was back in 2013 under MS Dhoni and since then the team has come up short in high-pressure knock-out games such as the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan, the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand and more recently Has occurred. T20 World Cup semi-final against England last year. In the inaugural WTC final two years ago, India finished runners-up to New Zealand.

In terms of financial and talent resources, India has long been a sporting powerhouse, but the big titles have eluded them. Can they turn the tide against Australia in the final from June 7 at The Oval?

“It’s definitely not a question of skill. So, it should just be a question of opportunity and mindset. I mean, cricket is life here, it’s the DNA of the game and there’s no other competitor,” Hayden, the all-conquering Australian Team of the 2000s, a key member of the team told PTI in an interview.

Hayden said that the popularity of cricket in India is unmatched and hence it creates more pressure around the players. “In Australia I could walk down the street and be largely unrecognizable, especially with this hideous beard and hat (laughs). But it also has great competitive sports besides cricket. Rugby, football, our watersports , surfing, outdoor sports, here in India it is very different and there is a lot of pressure. Same with Pakistan cricket. There is a sport and it is cricket so it is a matter of mindset.

“Being cautious about looking for the scoreboard and looking for the title and just playing and being part of the process, something that when you look at the franchise setup, Gujarat Titans have done really well this year and CSK have done very well. Have done Mumbai Indians also believe in a set process. So, my advice to Indian cricket would be to forget the results but embrace the process,” said the former CSK opener.

‘Aus would have huge advantage at Lord’s but Oval will be 50-50’

Hayden believes that going into the final will not benefit either side but IPL players from both the teams will be well prepared. Most of India’s squad members played in IPL 2023 while only three from Australia were part of the two-month long tournament.

“The Test Championship puts Test cricket in context of relevance. And you have two of cricket’s greatest nations, India and Australia, facing off. Being at The Oval, it’s a good opportunity to be a venue that doesn’t necessarily favor one side or the other.

“It is by tradition the bounciest, more even surface in England. It doesn’t favor spinners, doesn’t really favor fast bowlers so it’s a pretty neutral venue. It’s good to see him playing at that venue, especially if it was at Lord’s, Australia would have a huge advantage there.”

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‘Players playing in IPL 2023 are at an advantage’

Hayden said that for someone like Cameron Green, the first season of the IPL was good preparation for the high-stakes WTC final. “Don’t pay too much attention to the preparation of any nation. I don’t think there is any major drawback of playing IPL cricket instead of playing county cricket.

“The level is so extreme in high performance at the IPL level. Take someone like Cameron Green for example. He has had a great season for Mumbai Indians. It is a no brainer whether he is playing here or he is actually playing in county cricket or somewhere else. He is aware of the game at the highest level and if anything, I think that can be a bit of an advantage for guys who are playing at that high level (IPL).

Asked about the two teams not playing warm-up matches ahead of the WTC title clash, Hayden said, “The mix of playing high-performance cricket in the IPL now going to a venue-specific training match is excellent preparation.”

‘Rishabh Pant one of the biggest losses of Indian cricket’

Hayden, who has backed Ishan Kishan to don the wicket-keeping gloves in place of KS Bharat, said the absence of flamboyant Rishabh Pant, who is recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident in December, has left a huge gap in India’s Test XI.

“A big loss for Indian cricket right now is Rishabh Pant. If I were an Indian selector, I would definitely go with the more dynamic wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan, he adds a bit of swagger to the batting line-up and fielding unit as well,” Hayden said.

Spinners can play a role at The Oval as the game progresses and that is why Hayden said India should play both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. “What works for India is two spinners. It doesn’t work for Australia apart from the abysmal turns we saw in India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“I know the Australian combination will always want to have three fast bowlers. Obviously, Nathan Lyon is our spinner and Cameron Green can play as an all-rounder. I mean, Cameron Green is just that important. It is a powerful and important role that he plays as an all-rounder. So it is great to have him in form.