On Day 3 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval on Friday, former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was ecstatic to witness some sort of comeback from India.
Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur brilliantly added 109 runs for the seventh wicket from a precarious position of 152/6 to help India narrow Australia’s lead much more than it could have. Despite the difficult batting conditions, Harbhajan praised both players for persevering.
The following is what Harbhajan Singh had to say about the collaboration between Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur in a video on his YouTube channel.
“The only way India could have staged a comeback was to fight back with the bat, and they did it thanks to crucial performances from Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur. Until you concede defeat, you are not a loser. “
Day 3’s second session saw India score 36 more runs, bringing their total to 296, but they were still 173 runs behind Australia at the end of their first innings. In the third innings, they needed to get off to a strong start with the ball, and that’s exactly what happened when Mohammed Siraj struck early and returned David Warner.
According to Harbhajan Singh, the Indian team must keep looking for wickets in order to quickly dismiss Australia.
To this, he said: “India is still playing because of Rahane and Thakur. But now it’s up to the bowlers, who must step up and deliver a stellar performance. “
India was able to take four Australian wickets by the end of play on Day 3 thanks to much more disciplined bowling than they had in the first innings. With a 296-run advantage, Australia is still in a good spot.
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