WTC Final: Top-order’s failure to fire puts India on the back foot

If you are a Team India supporter in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, chances are that you might have switched off your television set or gone somewhere. Yes, it was that kind of a day for India in the summit clash against the Aussies, on Day 2 at The Oval.

At stumps on the second day, India were 151/5, still trailing Australia’s total of 469 by 318 runs.

Losing half your side while responding to a first innings total of 469 in a Test match is far from an ideal start. But for some of those Indian top-order batters, it seemed as though they were still in the Indian Premier League (IPL) days.

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So much so that openers Rohit Sharma (15) and Shubman Gill (13) got India off to a brisk start, helping them get to 22/0 in just three overs, with both dealing in regular boundaries. One would have felt at the time that a big partnership would be built between Rohit and Gill, given the way the two were going. But it did not take long for Pat Cummins to emerge victorious in this battle of the skippers, trapping Rohit Sharma LBW in the sixth over.

However, it was later a brainfade moment from Shubman Gill in the seventh over that caught the eye of many. Gill was facing Australia pacer Scott Boland in that over. Leading upto the fourth ball of the seventh over, Boland had unleashed as many as nine dot balls to both Rohit and Gill alternatively, and the pacer nailed the bullseye on the 10^th ball, cleaning up Gill.

However, it was no ordinary “clean bowled” dismissal. Boland delivered this outside off to Gill, but the ball nipped back a bit, and Gill was in two minds whether to play the shot or not. However, as worse as it can get, it was Gill’s poor judgement that cost him his wicket. From a layman’s perspective, the 23-year-old had no option but to play that shot, but instead, he left it on a line and length, and the ball crashed top of off-stump.

A confident start from the openers turned into disaster, especially for Gill, as if he were in self-destruction mode.

Starc’s deceptive extra bounce to remove Kohli

Much was expected from Virat Kohli to take India back on track after a shaky start, but it was just not his day. Kohli was off the mark in his usual fashion: collecting a boundary off Cummins. However, Kohli could never take off from there. Or maybe, it was just that the Aussie pacers were too good for him.

Enter Mitchell Starc in the 19^th over. Starc began with a good length just outside off to Kohli, which the latter strode forward to defend and play the dot ball.

However, Starc shifted gears on the second ball. It was an off-cutter angled across from Starc, and the extra bounce on offer meant that Kohli had to react quickly. However, Kohli was undone by the bounce, forcing him to defend the ball, but the ball eventually caught the bat’s shoulder and clipped the gloves en route to Steve Smith at second slip.

It was almost an unplayable ball, and there was simply nothing that Kohli, or anyone, could have done.

Ravindra Jadeja rescues India, but misses fifty

India would have been a relieved side had Jadeja remained unbeaten at stumps. However, the all-rounder from Saurashtra did his bit, with a 51-ball 48.

Jadeja was involved in a 71-run stand with Ajinkya Rahane, both of whom had played together for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL recently. That 71-run stand, if not game-changing, at least has kept India stay afloat in what has been a difficult two days for them.

Jadeja initially took time for himself to settle down at the crease, but took the aggressive route a few overs after coming in. He hit Starc for a boundary in the 21^st over, and repeated it with two more boundaries against Starc in the 23^rd.

In the first ball of the 23^rd, Starc bowled a half-volley angling towards off-stump, and Jadeja drove it straight to the fielder at wide mid off for the four.

Two balls later, Jadeja made use of the full delivery off Starc to flick it behind square towards the on-side boundary.

By now Jadeja was looking good and he was collecting boundaries regularly. In the 28^th over, Jadeja even whipped a delivery off Boland over the square leg fence, to collect a maximum, the only one of the Indian innings so far.

Jadeja still kept collecting boundaries, but in the 35^th over, it was a flighted delivery from Nathan Lyon that persuaded Jadeja to push on the front foot, and the turning ball did the rest, falling to the hands of Steve Smith at first slip.

Pujara, Rahane’s average a cause of concern

Both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have struggled in English conditions, as far as their averages are concerned. While Pujara averages 29.06, Rahane does so at an even lesser 27.07.

Both Pujara and Rahane seemingly struggled to settle down on Thursday, and even though Rahane remains unbeaten, he looked far from settled at times.

The 22^nd over that was bowled by Cummins saw some mixed fortunes for Rahane. Rahane was initially given LBW off the final ball of the over, but he went for the review. Rahane looked to defend it, but was struck on the back pad, but to his relief, Cummins had overstepped and there was a huge cheer from the crowd.

However, the very next ball, Rahane copped a blow to his fingers, after taking a stride forward in defence.

There was a long delay, but Rahane was good to go. However, in the 29^th over, Rahane once again suffered a blow. Facing a nasty bouncer from Cameron Green, Rahane was late on the pull and missed the top-edge, with the ball eventually hitting a side of his helmet.

He was eventually checked for concussion and was declared okay to continue.

If Thursday is to go by, it certainly won’t be easy on Friday for India. Rahane and Bharat will have take inspiration from Head and Smith, what they did early on in the match, and build a formidable stand to at least take India closer to Australia’s first innings total.

However, for that to happen, the duo will have to successfully tackle the Australian pacers, and most importantly not fall victim to the short ball, or that extra bounce.

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