WTC Final: Inside India's journey to the summit clash against Australia at the Oval

India began their journey in the second edition of the WTC with a series against England.

The first game at Nottingham resulted in a draw, despite England being bowled out for 183 in the first innings.

India dominated in the second Test, with Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Burmah, and Ishant Sharma delivering a crushing blow to the England batters, bowling them out for 120 in the second innings and winning the Test by 151 runs.

In the third Test, James Anderson's impressive spell dismissed India for 78 in the first innings. England went on to score 432, and then bowled India out for 278, winning the match by an innings and 76 runs.

India bounced back in the fourth Test, winning by a significant margin of 157 runs.

It was the fifth and final Test that caused controversy due to a Covid-19 outbreak. It was later decided that India would play the match in 2022 during their limited-over series in England.

Brendon McCullum and his Bazball were making waves in the cricketing world as a game-changing force. This proved to be true as England emerged victorious over India by seven wickets, leveling the series at 2-2.

India faced off against New Zealand at home with the Kiwis demonstrating their tenacity managing to secure a draw in Kanpur, following their loss in Mumbai.

India then travelled to South Africa for a three match series. Despite winning the first Test by a significant margin of 113 runs, the team was unable to maintain their momentum and went on to lose the series 2-1.

India then registerest straight forward series whitewashes against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh winning both series 2-0.

In order for India to secure a spot in the WTC 2023 final without relying on other results, they needed to defeat Australia by a margin of 3-0 or 3-1 at the very least.

After India's impressive performances in the first two Tests, it seemed as though Australia was destined for a clean sweep. However, India was stunned by a nine-wicket loss in Indore, following their victories in Nagpur and Delhi.

The 4th Test in Ahmedabad was a must-win for India, as a Sri Lanka series win over New Zealand would have dented hopes. Although unable to secure victory , India ultimately clinched their spot in the final after the Kiwis chased down 285 on the last day