‘Get the score…’: Former India captain sets priorities for Team India in the WTC Final against Australia

Following a lackluster Day 1 at the World Test Championship final held at The Oval in London, India displayed early promise on the second day against Australia by taking regular wickets. However, the Indian batting top-order failed to withstand the relentless barrage from the Australian bowlers, resulting in the Rohit Sharma-led team reaching a score of 151/5 at stumps. With Australia having scored an impressive 469 in the first innings, India still trails them by a significant margin of 318 runs.

Former India captain, Sunil Gavaskar, has emphasized that the primary objective for the Indian team should be to surpass the follow-on score. This would require India to score a minimum of 320 runs in their next innings, a challenging feat given the current state of the game.

“What the Australians have seen in 2001 when Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had that massive partnership. Sorry I am reminding you of that (to Justin Langer). They batted for almost two days. Then India came back on the last day and dismiss Australia to win. And then went on to win the last Test as well. I do not think Australia will entertain any thoughts of giving a follow on. Because if they do, and India bat well. India have the ability. They made some misjudgments. They made some errors,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

“They were out shouldering some deliveries, getting bowled. They could score some runs like it happened at the Eden Gardens. On the last day when the ball is turning, Ravindra Jadeja can create some magic. So, India’s first target would be to get past that score of 269 and try and reduce the lead as much as possible.”

On the second day of the World Test Championship Final against Australia, India reached a total of 151 for five at stumps. However, they trailed their opponents by a significant 318 runs in the first innings. The Australians were bowled out for 469 in their first essay, having resumed from overnight 327 for three at The Oval.

Despite struggling against centurions Steve Smith and Travis Head on the first day, the Indian pacers did well to restrict Australia. While Head went on to make a counterattacking 163, Smith notched up his 31st Test hundred before getting dismissed for a solid 121.

Mohammed Siraj emerged as the most successful Indian bowler, finishing with figures of 4/108 in 28.3 overs. Additionally, there were two wickets apiece for Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur.

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