Cummins pleased to be 'undone than overdone'; 'getting mentally prepared' crucial for Rohit  

The upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final features 15 Indian players, 14 of whom participated in the just concluded Indian T20 League held in April and May. On the other hand, only two Australian players, David Warner and Cameron Green, played in the Ind T20 League, while the rest have been competing in county cricket, including Michael Neser, Steven Smith, Marcus Harris, and Marnus Labuschagne.

Since the conclusion of the four-match Test series in India in early March, both teams have not played much competitive cricket. This begs the question: which team is better prepared for the WTC final set to begin at The Oval on Wednesday?

Although some in Australia, such as Ricky Ponting, are uncertain, Australian captain Pat Cummins believes that the break from cricket will be advantageous for his team, particularly as the WTC final will be followed by a five-Test Ashes series, which will be completed within five weeks.

"Yeah, they [breaks] are rare to come by," Cummins prefaced his answer on the importance of having a break when players' workloads have been immense across the three formats, including franchise-based tournaments.

"So, yeah, we try and take a break when we can. I've always said that we have got six Test matches in the next two months, I'd much prefer to be slightly underdone than overdone. That's from a bowler's point of view. I always feel like it doesn't take too much to kind of get ready. And then I want to make sure I'm fresh physically for the matches."

Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, has stated that his team is well-prepared for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India, having recently arrived in London after a three-day training camp in Beckenham. Cummins, who opted out of this year's Ind T20 League, revealed that his team had trained hard and was feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

However, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting expressed uncertainty regarding which team was better prepared. He gave Australia a "slight" edge due to the more Australia-like conditions at The Oval, where the bounce is good, the square boundaries are long, and the forecast is for warm weather. He also acknowledged that while the Indian players had been playing competitive cricket in the Ind T20 League, some of the Australians had not played any cricket at all.

Indian batsman Rohit Sharma emphasised the importance of mental preparation and adaptability, particularly in transitioning from the white Kookaburra to the red Dukes ball. He noted that England's challenging conditions for batters require concentration for longer periods of time, and success is achieved by giving oneself the best chance to make runs. Sharma, who topped the run-scoring charts in the 2019 ODI World Series and performed well in the 2021 Test series in England, stressed the need to maintain focus and be mentally ready for the challenge of the WTC final at The Oval.