India in the air as Test cricket gets ready for big moment at The Oval

India, Australia are set to face off in the World Test Championship final at The Oval cricket ground, with Indian companies' posters lining the streets outside

London As soon as you start making your way out of the Oval underground station, you realise there is a World championship final happening in London -- and that it features India. For all you see on the short walk to The Oval cricket ground are posters of Indian companies. A bank has taken over the wall of the escalator to ground level, where hoardings of a news channel tower over the street. The tickets for the first four days of the Test are sold out, and there is a clamour for more. The ads, and the fans gathered outside the venue, offer proof of who is expected to turn up — Indians, a lot of them.

Team India captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during a practice session at The Oval in London on Monday. (ANI)

The World Test championship is still a young event. It began in 2019while the ODI World Cup has been around for a long time with the first edition in 1975. Though the T20 World Cup was first held in 2007 but given the proliferation of the T20 Leagues, it now seems like the most important and well-contested.

The WTC, in contrast, is still searching for context. Test cricket has always been a bilateral battle, and that means certain series (say the Ashes or the Border-Gavaskar Trophy just have going for them in terms of history). Now the ICC is trying to change that, with small but crucial steps to try and keep the format relevant and give it pride of place.

On Monday, Australian vice-captain Steve Smith was asked what the feeling was as his team went into the WTC final. His answer left things hanging.

“I am not sure,” said Smith. “It is a different feeling for sure and we know we have worked hard to get here. Australia and India are top of the table but I haven’t thought about how it feels to be here at this point. Maybe that is something we will know once the match begins.”

But at the same time, Smith said he appreciates the idea. “As a traditionalist and someone who loves Test cricket, I hope it can stay alive and well.”

Indeed, with fewer high-quality Test sides around, the challenge is to try and ensure that every match is taken seriously. It may not still always happen but this an attempt to give fans something more… like a trophy at the end of a long grind.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, who is an expert for ICC, feels the event is comparable to a true World Cup final.

“It’s like a World Cup final, for a Test match. In a World Cup, you play 10 or 12 games to be good enough to earn the right to win a mace like that. These two teams have over the last two years have earned the right to be out here, in a couple of days time, in a one-off game, to be able to hold that thing (mace) at the end,” Ponting said.

“I think that players from both teams need to go out there and put out the best spectacle they possibly can. Play real aggressive Test match cricket, make sure we get a result and make sure the fans get what they deserve to see.”

And that is a challenge for the players. How should they play? England “Bazball” approach is fun and wildly entertaining. But if the ball is moving around on a cloudy, cold day, as it was on Monday, should they still throw their bats at everything or hold back a little?

Australia and India are teams that consistently won over the last two years. They are the best in the world and that would suggest that they just play the way they know how.

A great final is something that allows the sport to bask in its glory. It ignites interest and get young enthusiasts to look at the sport differently. But just because India and Australia are well-matched doesn’t mean we will get a good, not even great, final.

In an ICC event on Sunday, Wasim Akram emphasised that Australia and India deserved to be in the final after a rigorous two-year cycle.

“They have proved it consistently over the last couple of years, and that’s why they are here for this mace. All the other teams are trying to follow their mindset: That we are going to go for a win. The way Pat Cummins bowled against Pakistan in the last Test match in the last session, (it showed) that they were all gunning for this final,” Akram added.

In big finals, the real buzz often comes not from the fans but from the players. If the players truly appreciate the moment, and rise to the occasion, that is the best publicity that the match can hope for. You can mask the enthusiasm and the excitement but genuine emotion always adds sheen to the proceedings.

Ravi Shastri, who had coached India during the last WTC final, recalled that his side gave that match the utmost respect.

“This game is the pinnacle. It’s for what you’ve done over the last two years -- you’ve reached where you have to be one of the top two teams. And you go head-to-head. It’s something every cricketer will hope for in his career. To be able to play a final and win it.”

For now, some experts feel that Australia have a slight edge due to the conditions. But playing in England, given the writing on the wall and the faces in the crowd, could be as close to a home fixture as any for India -- whatever the conditions.