WTC Final 2023India fight hard but Australia still in firm control at The Oval

By Rajarshi GuptaAustralia were in the driver’s seat after a frenetic third day of the World Test Championship final at The Oval even as India attempted to fight their way back into the match. Ajinkya Rahane’s 89 and Shardul Thakur’s 51 gave India a glimmer of hope before Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja picked key wickets but by the end of the day, Australia had taken a lead of 296 runs with 6 second innings wickets in hand.

India’s pacers bowled inspirational spells on either side of the tea. Mohammed Siraj, India’s best bowler in the Test, removed David Warner towards the end of the second session before Umesh Yadav kept the pressure on and dismissed Usman Khawaja. Sandwiched between those two wickets was visual of Virat Kohli stirring his teammates up with a pep talk and it looked like one of those famous Indian fightbacks against Australia was on the cards.

WTC Final 2023, Day 3 Highlights

Australia would have been shaken after India’s pacers breathed fire. They also had two wickets to show for but in
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, Australia had the perfect batters to weather the storm. The two men built an important partnership, rotated the strike and with the advantage of a massive lead already, pushed steadily forward.

Ravindra Jadeja struck to get the big wicket of Steve Smith to end a 62-run association with Marnus Labuschagne. That dismissal brought another first innings centurion – Travis Head – to the crease. It wasn’t easy going this time but with Labuschagne, he ensured the game moved forward against a more resilient Indian bowling attack. However, Head would not last long; he was dropped by Umesh Yadav off Jadeja and the ball went over the ropes for a six. Two balls later, Jadeja took a sharp return catch to send Head back.

Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green were then happy to see off the rest of the overs as Australia went to stumps without any further setbacks. Green will be eager to get going on Saturday while India would be desperate to get some early wickets to stay in the match and hope for a special effort from their batters in a fourth innings chase.

RAHANE, SHARDUL FIGHT HARD

India resumed at 151 for 5 and were immediately jolted again when Scott Boland got Srikar Bharat early in the morning. It looked like Australia would wrap up the Indian innings early but Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur had other ideas.

Ajinkya Rahane was making a comeback into the Test team after being dropped in early 2022 while Shardul Thakur came to the crease with a reputation, albeit newly developed, of playing some crucial innings at crucial junctures. In Brisbane in 2021, Thakur partnered with Washington Sundar as India pulled off a heist against Australia in their traditional fortress. Later that year, Thakur hit twin fifties at The Oval to star in another iconic Test win for India.

Two years later, India were in trouble again. The top-order had been blown away on Thursday and a lot depended on how Rahane batted with the lower-order.

Australia erred in their lengths and there were some bizarre field placements from Pat Cummins but credit should be given when due. Rahane and Thakur were hit on their fingers, rode their luck and played some delightful shots to take the fight to the Australians. It was a partnership which showed India’s star batters exactly how to bat on that pitch against the best pace attack in the world.

Ajinkya Rahane punished the poor balls and defended solidly. Shardul Thakur does not bat like a tail-ender although the field placed by Cummins would have you believe he is one. The two India batters, with their backs against the wall, added 109 for the 7th wicket at a time when they were expected to just roll over.

The partnership between Rahane and Thakur was gritty. Australia have suffered at the hands of several Indian batters, who have produced gems from nowhere to create scarcely believable victories. This partnership was beginning to look like one of those.

But then Australia started to pull things back. Ajinkya Rahane, who looked set to get a hundred on his comeback, fell to Pat Cummins for 89 and the Australian captain struck again to dismiss Umesh Yadav. Shardul Thakur scored his third fifty in as many innings at The Oval but he was the ninth Indian wicket to fall as Australia closed in on a massive first innings lead. Mitchell Starc ended the Indian innings when he got Mohammed Shami as Australia secured a 173-run first innings lead.