In the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final on Friday at The Oval, India made a commendable comeback on Day 3. They started their first inning on 151/5 and were 318 runs behind Australia. On Day 3, India was dealt a setback when Scott Boland bowled KS Bharat for 5.
India were in danger of being bowled out for a cheap total as the keeper-batter made his way back to the pavilion. However, the Indian innings gained momentum thanks to a resolute 109-run seventh-wicket stand between Ajinkya Rahane (89 off 129) and Shardul Thakur (51 off 109) for the visitors.
While Thakur scored his third consecutive fifty at The Oval, joining Sir Don Bradman and Allan Border as the only other foreign batters to do so, Rahane missed out on a well-deserved hundred on his Test comeback.
India put up a brave fight, but they were eventually bowled out for 296 in their first innings, giving up a 173-run lead. With the ball, they had a strong start. David Warner was returned for one by Mohammed Siraj, and Usman Khawaja (13), by Umesh Yadav, was dismissed.
Then, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ejected Steve Smith (34) and Travis Head (18). Australia maintained their lead, increasing it to 296 points, despite India’s valiant efforts on Day 3.
History suggests that India’s wait for the elusive ICC title will likely continue. Whatever goal India sets, they will need to rewrite history in order to win the world Test championship because Australia has a lead of almost 300 points.
The Oval has never surpassed 263 in the fourth innings of a game. This incident happened back in August of 1902 when England, needing just one wicket, completed the total run chase in 66.05 overs. A stellar 104 from Gilbert Jessop and a resolute 58* from George Hirst helped the hosts to a thrilling victory despite England having lost half of their team for 48.
There has only ever been one other occasion at The Oval where a team chased down a total of more than 250. In the fifth Test of the 1963 England-West Indies series, the visitors defeated the home team by an impressive eight wickets while chasing a target of 253 thanks to Conrad Hunte’s unbeaten 108.
What was India’s most productive chase at The Oval?
At The Oval, Team India has had 173 successful chases. With 174/6, they achieved the goal that England had set for them during their historic 1971 tour, thanks to strong performances from captain Ajit Wadekar (45), Dilip Sardesai (40), Gundappa Viswanath (33) and Farokh Engineer (28*).
The fact that India’s highest fourth-innings total at the legendary venue is an impressive 429/8, however, can give them hope. India, which was given a lofty target of 438, gave England a real scare by scoring 80 runs off of Chetan Chauhan and a solid 80 from Sunil Gavaskar.
The initial stand cost 113 dollars. Additionally contributing with a 52 at No. 3. At one point in time, India were 366/1 in the chase and seemed set to create history. But they fell to 423/8 after an astonishing batting collapse. They had to accept a draw in the end.
KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant both hit hundreds as India also scored 345 against England in the fourth innings of the 2018 Oval Test. But despite their valiant efforts, the visitors lost by 118 runs in a 464-run chase.
Shardul Thakur is confident that India will put up a fight in the pursuit
Even though Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur believes they are still in the game, history may be completely against them in the WTC final. He discussed his thoughts on India’s standing in the match at the conclusion of the third day of play.
“Cricket is a humorous game. Particularly in an ICC final, it is impossible to determine the ideal total. You can pursue 450 targets, or perhaps even more, with one successful partnership.”
“Last year, England successfully chased down [nearly] 400 runs in this location (Birmingham), losing only a few wickets in the process. That’s good news for us, so,” Thakur said.
“It’s too early to make any predictions about what [Australia] will put up on the board. In Test cricket, it frequently happens that the outcome of the match changes within an hour. So yes, going into tomorrow’s [Saturday] game on the field, we [would] like to be optimistic. And indeed, we’ll continue from there,” he said.
In the WTC final at The Oval, what total might India be asked to beat? Mitchell Starc, an Australian fast bowler, said the team has not yet considered declaring their second innings. He made a suggestion that the Australians might continue to bat and post a massive total, effectively eliminating the possibility of an Indian victory.
Regarding Australia’s strategy, Starc stated:
“I don’t know [about declaring], and it’s not my call, but I believe we will continue to bat for the time being. Two more days remain in the game. The weather has been pleasant, and I anticipate that tomorrow (Saturday) will be warmer. As far as I know, we will still be batting tomorrow, so hopefully the pitch starts pulling a few more pranks. ”
With Cameron Green (seven*) and Marnus Labuschagne (41*), Australia will resume their second innings. Before asking India to bat, they might want to increase their lead past the 400–450 point, unless of course they get bowled out.
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