"He always has been, but he just continues to be my favourite," said Cummins, to which Boland could only laugh: "That’s nice of him – he’s mine too."

Despite his impressive bowling average, there is no guarantee that Boland will be selected for the Ashes opener

Although the 34-year-old is aware that he will have an opportunity to play during the five-Test series due to the packed schedule, Boland's inclusion for Friday's match is not guaranteed, despite his impressive bowling average of 14.57 from five previous Tests.

"I don’t know," said Boland when asked about his selection chances. "My job is to keep performing, keep making the selectors’ job hard.

"I’m loving my time in the team. I know at some stage I’m going to play during the Ashes, if it it’s not the first Test, then it's not the first Test"

Boland had garnered expectations of being a formidable force in British conditions, and he certainly lived up to the anticipation. His dismissal of Virat Kohli in the second innings further highlighted his status as one of the most impactful bowlers in world cricket.

During the match, where scoring rates remained around four runs per over, Boland bowled a tight spell, conceding just eight runs in five overs on the morning of the fifth day. It was during this period that India's last significant hope for victory, Kohli, succumbed to the continuous pressure exerted by Boland, edging the ball to second slip.

Among all the pace bowlers in the match, the right-arm fast bowler emerged as the sole player with an economy rate below three runs per over.

"He’s one of the most accurate, consistent bowlers I’ve ever seen," Labuschagne wrote in his newsletter. "Ball after ball, he hits the right line and length and gives you nothing as a batter.

"It creates a lot of pressure and forces batters to play at balls they’d normally leave, in an effort to get off strike and get the scoreboard moving.

"That’s exactly what happened with Virat in the second innings.

"Scott was hitting a very tight channel for a few overs, and then had the skill to push that delivery a few inches wider than the previous deliveries and got the edge. It’s fantastic to watch."

Boland was entrusted to start his second innings in the WTC final ahead of Starc

Boland was given the responsibility of opening the bowling in India's second innings, ahead of Starc. However, it has been clarified that this decision was made tactically and not as a demotion for the left-arm fast bowler.