In what turned out to be a pulsating final session, Virat Kohli (44 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane shared an unbeaten association of 71 in just 118 balls to give India a semblance of hope of posting a memorable win against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval. At close of play on day four, India were 164 for 3, still needing another 280 runs to pull off an improbable world-record chase.
India had commenced the evening session with Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease. The duo essayed some eye-catching flicks and cuts to keep the scorecard moving. On the other hand, Scott Boland continued to impress, extracting some variable bounce from the surface. At 92 for 1, Rohit looked set for a big score, but he was dismissed LBW by Nathan Lyon for 43, while trying to sweep. Pujara, who made 27, then tried to ramp Cummins but could only find a thin edge to Alex Carey behind the stumps.
With India in a spot of bother, Kohli and Rahane didn’t just go about doing the repair work, but also cracked a volley of shots to put some pressure back on the Australian bowlers. Kohli, in particular, took the aggressive route, playing some fine drives and flicks off Lyon and Starc. From Australia’s point of view, Cummins, Lyon and Boland bowled incisively. However, Starc was once again expensive, giving away 45 runs in just seven overs.
Incidentally, even in the afternoon session, India had played with attacking intent. Rohit gave a fine exhibition of how to play the pull, while Gill used the punch to good effect. On the stroke of tea, though, Gill edged one off Boland to Cameron Green, who pouched an excellent catch. There was some doubt over whether Green had taken it cleanly or not, and the slow-motion replays, even with multiple camera angles, were far from conclusive. Eventually, it was ruled out. Meanwhile, it was a smart piece of bowling from Boland as he had tilted his wrist just enough to find a bit of movement away from Gill.
Before India’s spirited performance with the bat, Australia racked up 270 for 8 in their second dig, and declared their innings with a lead of 443. Carey (66*) was the mainstay of Australia’s batting on the penultimate day. He also shared important alliances of 43 with Green and then a quick-fire 93-run stand with Starc in just 20 overs. One of the features of Carey’s batting was his ability to use the pace of the fast bowlers to steer and guide a few through the third man and backward-point regions.
Indian players and fans would believe they have a chance to script a jailbreak. The outfield is lightning fast, and the Australian attack hasn’t exactly looked at its best. Perhaps Kohli would be the man who takes India to the pinnacle of success? Or would it be Rahane? Maybe Ravindra Jadeja will hit the winning runs? Just think of a scenario where India pulls off the highest successful chase in Test cricket in the WTC final. Not just the players, but millions of fans would also be dreaming that India can do something special on the final day.
Brief scores: Australia 469 (Travis Head 163, Steve Smith 121; Mohammed Siraj 4-108) and 270/8 decl. (Alex Carey 66*; Ravindra Jadeja 3-58) lead India 296 (Ajinkya Rahane 89; Pat Cummins 3-83) and 164/3 (Virat Kohli 44*; Nathan Lyon 1-32) by 280 runs