India finally showed some resistance Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur after a disappointing first two days in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final at The Oval on the third day. Rahane’s memorable 89 off just 129 balls and Thakur’s third consecutive half-century at The Oval helped India avoid the follow-on to post 295 in the first innings.
However, the Aussies scored 123/4 at the end of Day 3 and extended their lead to 296 runs. Indian bowlers took four big wickets including first innings century steve smith and Travis Head, but with a lead of almost 300 runs, it’s not looking good Rohit Sharma-Leadership going into Day 4.
Chasing a big target in the last innings in English conditions is always an impossible task. In the past, only six times have teams successfully chased down a target of 300 runs in the fourth innings. Australia are already dominating with a 296-run lead and world No. 1 Test batsman Marnus Labuschagne has two days left in the WTC Final 2023.
But India’s biggest concern will be chasing down the target at The Oval. At the iconic London venue, teams have never successfully chased 300-plus in red-ball cricket. The highest successful final innings chase of 263 was achieved by England against Australia in 1902. Hence, to win the match, India need to break their record total of 121 runs at The Oval, which will be some task for the struggling Indian batting line-up. Make a row
Meanwhile, India will need their top-order to be at their best to chase down a possible 300-plus or perhaps 400-plus target at The Oval. India’s top four batsmen scored 15, 13, 14 and 14 in the first innings. But Rahane and Shardul’s half century and important 48 runs Ravindra Jadeja Helped India avoid the blush on Day 3.