• Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur lead India's resistance on Day 3 of WTC Final.

  • At stumps, Australia scored 123/4 leading India by 296 runs.

Twitter reactions: Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur inspire India’s fightback on Day 3 of WTC 2023 Final
Rahane and Thakur lead India's fightback (Image Source: Twitter)

Australia got off to a superb start on Day 3 of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 against India at the Oval in London. Scott Boland struck early by dismissing KS Bharat with just the second ball of the day, providing the Aussies with a fantastic start. Initially, they aimed to swiftly wrap up India’s innings. However, a series of dropped catches and an unfortunate no-ball from skipper Pat Cummins negated an lbw decision, leading to a spirited century partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur.

After finding themselves in a precarious position at 152/6, India not only managed to avoid the follow-on but also made significant progress towards the 300-run mark. Rahane led the charge for the team captained by Rohit Sharma, delivering an outstanding innings of 89 runs from 129 deliveries, featuring 11 boundaries and a six. Similarly, Shardul Thakur made a valuable contribution, scoring 51 runs from 109 balls.

Despite the lower-order resilience displayed by India, Australia secured a substantial first-innings lead of 173 runs. With two and a half sessions remaining in the day, Australia had an opportunity to dominate and potentially remove India from the equation. However, India showcased discipline in their bowling performance, preventing Australia from gaining complete control of the game.

Early in the innings, Mohammed Siraj made an impact by dismissing David Warner, causing the two Queensland batters to adopt a defensive approach. Usman Khawaja, attempting to play a wide delivery from Umesh Yadav, ended up edging it and departing. Steve Smith, the centurion from the first innings, entered the crease at number four, adopting an aggressive approach and accelerating the scoring rate. He played a major role in a fifty partnership with Marnus Labuschagne, but fell to Ravindra Jadeja while attempting a wild slog.

Jadeja continued to make an impact by dismissing Travis Head, the other centurion from the first innings, as he extracted sharp turn from the rough. Labuschagne and Cameron Green then adopted a cautious approach, ensuring no further setbacks until the end of the day’s play. With a substantial lead of 296 on a deteriorating pitch, Australia clearly have the upper hand and are considered favorites to win the final. However, they will not underestimate India.

“Happy with the way I batted. Had a good today. We were looking to get 320-330 but overall we had a good day. Bowling wise we bowled well. Everyone chipped in. That was a really good catch. We all know he’s a really good fielder. Has a big reach. Australia slightly ahead in the game. For us it’s important to be in the moment, play session by session. First one hour will be crucial tomorrow. We know funny things can happen. Jadeja bowled really well, footmarks helped him against the left-hander. Still feel wicket will help seam bowlers,” said Rahane after the end of day’s play.

Here is how Twitter reacted:

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