Индия сынагы крикеттин миллион долларлык байгеси үчүн күрөштө Австралияга үстөмдүк кылууну улантат

After so much debate and wasted words over the years devoted to pitch doctoring, with these powerhouses enjoying vastly different home conditions, there has long been intrigue over how a Test match between Australia and India in neutral conditions would play out.

We’ll soon find out with Australia and India squaring off in the World Test Championship final at the Oval in London starting on Wednesday, with the winner to pocket $1.6 million.

But no matter the terrain, India have had a stranglehold over their rivals with four straight series victories, including twice on faster and bouncier pitches in Australia.

Each series has been highly competitive, including a four-Test affair in India earlier this year, but India have had the edge to justifiably be rated the best red-ball team in the last five years or so.

Although being labelled the ‘best’ Test team has always been subjective given the mishmash of bilateral fixtures.

It’ss more of a gut feel though there have been long periods where the standout team is obvious – like the West Indies in the 1980s and Australia over the next 15 years, but more recently the top tier has been fairly even with India just edging ahead.

The advent of the nine-team WTC – in its second cycle – was established to provide context to the wheezing five-day format over a two-year period.

It’s a convoluted system with fixtures crammed in a limited window exacerbated by political foes India and Pakistan unable to play each other. No one really understands the incomprehensible points system either, but the two best teams – with apologies to a rejuvenated England whose high-octane game still needs to get through further scrutiny – have made it to the final.

It has led to what should be a riveting final although feels a bit like a glorified precursor to the blockbuster Ashes series between Australia and England – cricket’s most historical series and still the most hyped.

England and Ireland just played a one-off four-day Test which went through the motions with the hearts of both teams not really in the contest.

England were tuning up for the Ashes, while Ireland – as their high performance manager Richard Holdsworth told me last month to start a public furore – viewed the one-off Test as the spiritual home of cricket at Lord’s below qualifying for the World Cup.

Local interest in the U.K. – where really only the Ashes ignites the broader public – is likely to be tepid with media attention focused on the subsequent Ashes.

Still for cricket purists this should be a fascinating final with India hoping to make amends after falling short to New Zealand two years ago. India have had numerous injuries to big names in recent times, but their depth of talent – set to deepen with extraordinary resources and a huge populace – has helped paper over cracks.

Australia have enjoyed a strong run under the captaincy of Pat Cummins built on the back of an irrepressible attack although injury-prone quick Josh Hazlewood won’t play in the final.

Australia’s batting – much like India’s in these conditions – is less self-assured in the U.K. starting at the top with struggling veteran David Warner, who with all the canniness of a politician recently declared his intention to retire during the Australian home summer – which is still six months away.

Whether Warner can get past this match – after such a meek run where it seemed he should have called time in January while on top – is debatable although Australia’s hierarchy don’t appear willing to make a hard call.

Warner, meanwhile, seems to be subscribing to Mark Waugh’s old theory that he’ll continue until dropped. The pugnacious opener is not going to willingly step aside although aiding his chances is that Australia’s selectors don’t appear confident in the openers in reserve.

With an abundance of storylines, laced with superstars playing each other in unfamiliar surroundings, it should be a compelling WTC decider – despite the obvious flaws of a ham-fisted competition – to help shape the legacies of India and Australia.