Recent Match Report – Australia vs India Final 2021-2023

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India 280 more runs needed to beat 296 and 164 for 3 wickets (Kohli 44*, Rohit 43) Australia 469 and 270 till 8 December (Carey 66, Labuschagne 41, Starc 41, Jadeja 3-58, Shami 2-39, Umesh 2-54)

Under bright skies and on an Oval pitch that, contrary to all expectations, looked easy, India’s batsmen prepared for a potentially thrilling final day, reaching their target of 164 for 3 at a rate of more than four runs per over. Kept alive. World-record fourth innings target, Australia remains favourites, with India needing another 280 runs on the final day, but they may have to work very hard to take the remaining seven wickets with the second new ball 40 overs away.

However, India were probably still feeling a bit of trouble at stumps, although by then they had probably lost one more wicket than they expected, two of which were due to aggressive shots. Rohit Sharma was out LBW to Nathan Lyon, missing a sweep down the stump-to-stump line, and Cheteshwar Pujara attempted to ramp up a Pat Cummins bouncer over the slips.

However, both batsmen would argue that these are shots they generally play well. They would also argue that the same positivity helped them build a partnership of 51 runs in 77 balls for the second wicket. However, with two wickets falling in the space of five balls the score became 92 for 1 and the score became 93 for 3.

This was the perfect start for Australia to build bulldozers, but Virat Kohli And Ajinkya Rahane He didn’t have anything. They ended the day repeating the same positivity as before, putting on an unbroken 71-run partnership for the fourth wicket, with both batsmen looking in great ball-striking form. The conditions also did not appear to test him, with the pitch showing much less tendency to generate inconsistent bounce than in the first three innings of the match. Kohli and Rahane ended the day with bowling percentages of 93 and 97 respectively.

As they safely negotiated the last over of the day, the largely pro-India crowd was in good spirits, with a section of them shouting this number from the 1975 blockbuster cinder,We will not break this friendship (We will never break this friendship).” Australia would like to break it as quickly as possible as the fifth day begins.

Nearly two hours earlier the crowd was much less happy, however, as India lost their first wicket on the last ball before tea, with Scott Boland getting a single, after an opening partnership of 41 runs. Straight and kicked down the gully, Shubman Gill pushed at him with a hard hand, and Cameron Green dived down to his left to take a brilliant gully catch, his second of the match. However, Gill stood his ground and the decision went to the third umpire. As is often the case with these low grabs, Replays seemed inconclusiveBut the decision went in favor of Australia.

“Cheating! Cheating! Cheating!” The chants continued to follow Green for the rest of the evening, especially when he bowled. A World Test Championship that was brimming with quality cricket was now missing one ingredient: controversy and needles.

During the first session of the day, Green had made a distinct impact on the crowd, keeping them calm as he added 18 runs to his overnight score of 7 runs from 87 balls. His dismissal was in keeping with his style of innings: he attempted to pad Ravindra Jadeja’s ball over the wicket, but the ball hit his pads and rolled onto the wicket.

By then, Australia had added 44 runs to their overnight score of 123 for the loss of two wickets in 19 overs – with second batsman Marnus Labuschagne dismissing Umesh Yadav at first slip. India bowled with discipline, bowling well enough from the surface to keep the batsmen alert; Australia’s lead is just 340 and they will hope to end their innings before reaching 400.

alex careyHowever, it ensured it went well beyond that figure, making an opportunistic 66 with his 48 in the first innings and adding 93 for the seventh wicket. Mitchell Starc, Both batsmen started cautiously and faced moments of discomfort, especially against Jadeja who found sharp turn and bounce from the footmark outside the left-hander’s off stump, but as India’s fast bowlers tired, their Confidence increased.

Mohammed Shami, who had at times bowled frugally and without reward in his previous spell, took a beating with the bat when India took the second new ball and dismissed Starc and Pat Cummins when they tried to score fast runs. Was doing. Australia declared the innings as soon as Cummins was out, giving India a never-before-achieved target of 444 runs to win.

This could be a nostalgic moment among the old players on the field. in 1979, Sunil Gavaskar’s double century had propelled India to a thrilling draw at the Oval; They finished at 429 for 8 after England were set a target of 438 runs. There is still a possibility that Sunday could bring the same level of excitement.

Karthik Krishnaswamy is assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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