The play on Day 3 of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2023 turned out to be a big positive for India as two of their batters stitched a 100-run partnership and helped the team avoid following on against Australia. However, India were bowled out for 296 runs, and Australia then went on to register 123/4 in their second innings at stumps.
Resuming their innings on Day 3, India initially faced a setback in the form of KS Bharat’s wicket in the very first over of the morning session. Although when it almost felt like India would be forced to follow on, Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur stood up for the Indian side and batted resiliently to bail the team out of danger. While Rahane top-scored with brilliant 89 runs for his team, Shardul added crucial 51 runs off 109 deliveries.
It was Aussie skipper Pat Cummins who put a break on Rahane’s inning. The right-handed batter was caught by Cameron Green in a sensational effort and missed on his well-deserved hundred.
On the final ball of the 62nd over, Cummins delivered a 142kph ripper to Rahane, which the latter tried to punch away from his body but ended up getting a thick outside edge. Green at the gully made no mistake and pulled off a flying screamer with one hand to send the India batter back to the pavilion. The Aussie all-rounder was pumped up after the wicket, whereas Rahane was seen surprised by Green’s effort.
Here’s the video:
Soon after the wicket of Rahane, India’s lower order collapsed as a house of cards, and they finished 173 runs behind Australia’s first-innings total. Cummins was the pick of the bowlers for Australia and played a major role in restricting India by claiming three wickets for his team. Meanwhile, all Scott Bolland, Mitchell Starc and Green bagged two scalps each, with Nathan Lyon also striking one dismissal.
