On Stumps Day 2 of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2023, India trail Australia by 318 runs at the Kennington Oval in London.
Stumps ⏲
— ICC (@ICC) June 8, 2023
Like the opening day, Day 2 of the Ultimate Test has belonged to the Aussies 💪
Follow the #WTC23 Final 👉 https://t.co/wJHUyVnX0r pic.twitter.com/3RRJJJh0Jo
The day started with Steve Smith (121) reaching his century in the first over itself. On the other hand, Travis Head (163) surpassed 150 while Alex Carey (48) also added much-needed runs towards the end. The Australians added 142 runs to their overnight total and somehow managed to secure one hand on the trophy
For Indian bowlers, it was a pretty good first session as they claimed four scalps and later the final three wickets in the first hour following lunch.
The Indian team responded with a swift start thanks to the steady batting of Shubman Gill (13) and Rohit Sharma (15) against Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. Scott Boland entered, pressed the brakes with a maiden over, and soon after the Australian skipper snagged Sharma lbw to win the battle of the captains. With both of them misreading the line and shouldering arms, Boland and Cameron Green defeated Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara (14) respectively. Later on, the extra bounce allowed Starc to snort the inform-looking Virat Kohli (14) out of the game. India was in trouble at 71/4.
Furthermore, the man making his return to the Indian team after 18 months, Ajinkya Rahane (29*) was also adjudged lbw on 17 but survived as Cummins overstepped. Ravindra Jadeja (48) and Rahane formed a fifty-fifty partnership, with the former looking in good condition. Nathon Lyon, however, dismissed the southpaw with a beautiful delivery with just 15 minutes to go for stumps.
The five Australian bowlers each have at least one wicket under their belts. Srikar Bharat (5*) got hit twice till now during his limited stay on the crease, while Rahane has struggled since sustaining a blow to the hand. India still has a 318-run deficit and must overcome a strong bowling lineup. Can they mount a resurgence? Will Cummins and Company still rule the proceedings? We will see this tomorrow.
Scorecard:
Australia: 469/10, Overs 121.3, Travis Head 163, Mohammad Siraj 4/108
India: 151/5, Overs 38, Ravindra Jadeja 48, Nathon Lyon 1/4