ULTIMATE TEST, INDIA AIM TO BREAK JINX

ICC trophy has eluded them against formidable Australians as the two sides clash for a trophy at the oldest cricket venue The Oval

The contest between India and Australia has now reached never-seen-before heights. It has comfortably thrown the Ashes out of the window and any other cricketing rivalry that there is as India-Australia clashes have become the most anticipated ones of the lot.

And no, it's not the verbal spats, it's the quality of cricketers on display, the see-saw matches, the stakes at play, and new players claiming world supremacy with every passing series.

However, India gained a foothold after winning two each against Bangladesh and Australia. Yet, their lone spot in the final wasn't etched until New Zealand ousted Sri Lanka in a thriller at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

And unlike the last final against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma must head to the Oval with his troops bereft of Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah - two of their best overseas performers.

Yet, the Indian team on paper, is no pushover, especially when they have a rock-solid Cheteshwar Pujara at number three, the indomitable Virat Kohli, the return of the monk Ajinkya Rahane, the wily Ravindra Jadeja, and the metronomic Mohammed Shami.