Team India slipped into a precarious situation in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia as their top order collapsed meekly on Day 2 (Thursday, June 8) at the Oval.
Australia resumed the day with an overnight score of 327/3. Steve Smith reached his century and Travis Head breached the 150-run mark quickly by hitting a flurry of boundaries in the first couple of overs.
Mohammed Siraj (4/108) finally got a breakthrough for India by dismissing Head (163) in the seventh over of the second day. His bowling partners then backed up his efforts and managed to bundle out Australia for 469 just after lunch.
Team India got off to a brisk start as Rohit Sharma (15) and Shubman Gill (13) put on a 30-run partnership in six overs. Pat Cummins pinned Sharma in front of the stumps in the sixth over and delivered a massive blow to India. Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara departed identically, leaving the balls which hit the off stump.
Mitchell Starc sent Virat Kohli (14) back to the pavilion in the 19th over to reduce India to 71/4. With his side in a dire position, Ravindra Jadeja (48 off 51 balls) played a counter-attacking knock and built a 71-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane (29*). However, Nathan Lyon dismissed him with a classic off-spinner at the fag end of the day to dent the opposition side further.
At stumps, Rahana held the fort for his side in the company of Srikar Bharat (5*), with 151/5 on the scoreboard. Fans enjoyed the cricketing action that unfolded on Day 2 of the WTC 2023 final. They expressed their views by sharing hilarious memes on Instagram and Twitter.
Here are some of the best reactions:
“I think we’re in a really strong position after two days”- Australia pacer Scott Boland after stumps on Day 2
Speaking after stumps on Day 2, Aussie pacer Scott Boland opined that his side is in a strong position after two days of play. He also stated that he was feeling nervous going into the game as it was his first Test in England.
Boland said:
He added:
Do you think India can make a comeback on day 3? Let us know in the comments section.
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