Alex Carey opens up on Australia’s sub-continent character, unwavering faith in grit and WTC final

Alex Carey. (Photo by Nigel French/PA Images via Getty Images)

Following the end of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, the fans will have their sights set on the upcoming World Test Championship final between India and Australia that is scheduled to be played from June 7 at the Oval in London.

One of the biggest players for the marquee clash for Australia would be wicketkeeper Alex Carey. The 31-year-old has excelled in recent times and has cemented his position as one of the best keeper batters in red-ball cricket currently.

Ahead of facing India in the WTC final, Carey himself came forward to reflect upon taking on the Rohit Sharma-led side and how the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 helped the side prepare even better.

“We learned a lot to be able to bounce back (from two-nil down) to win in Indore (in the third Test), which showed a lot of character, and then the last Test was a draw, so we walked away with a bit of confidence, knowing we were good enough in those conditions, and there were just a few areas we would’ve liked to have cleaned up and now the grand final is here; this is what the last two years have led to,” Alex Carey told the ICC.

“We’ll wait and see what The Oval looks like too – there might be some grass on it, it might be dry – but it’s a pretty special opportunity to play in a ‘grand final’, so to speak, and obviously the Ashes is just around the corner, too,” he added.

His wicketkeeping is almost second to none: Ricky Ponting

Furthermore, legendary Australian skipper Ricky Ponting also heaped massive praise on Carey. He even opined that the 31-year-old is the best wicketkeeper in the world at the moment.

“Alex Carey’s Test career has grown a lot in the last 12 months; his wicketkeeping is almost second to none in world cricket at the moment. He had an unbelievable series in Australia last summer, and then his keeping in those trying conditions in India in the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well was absolutely outstanding,” Ricky Ponting said.