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Umesh Yadav is ecstatic after taking the wicket Marnus Labuschagne.© AFP
India had the best possible start to the fourth day of the World Test Championship final against Australia as Umesh Yadav scalped the crucial wicket of Marnus Labuschagne in the third over of the day. Umesh let out a big shout after the dismissal and the reason was obvious as Australia went five down. Their lead had ballooned to 296 at the end of Day 3 and for India to have any chance of winning, they need to restrict their lead to as low as possible. The good length delivery around off-stump kicked up and the resulting bounce took Labuschagne’s edge and went flying to the first slip, where Cheteshwar Pujara was stationed.
Watch: Umesh’s Wild Reaction Sums Up India’s Mood As He Scalps Labuschagne
All-rounder Shardul Thakur, who stepped up for India on Friday scoring a valiant 51 under pressure, was optimistic that 450 runs can be chased down in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval. The first half of Day 3, saw impressive contributions from Ajinkya Rahane (89) and Shardul Thakur (51) to help India reach a total of 296 in their first innings, avoiding the follow-on after lunch on day three but handing Australia a 173-run lead going into their second dig.
Thakur scored three half-centuries in three innings at The Oval before leaving for a lively 51.
The all-rounder’s century puts him in exclusive company as one of only three players in the game’s history to record three successive 50-plus scores at the south London venue.
“Well, cricket is a funny game. You can never say what is the right total and this one-off game, especially ICC finals, you never know, I mean, who can handle the pressure better out there, one good partnership when you can even chase down 450 or maybe more than that,” Shardul Thakur said in a post-match press conference.
“Last year England chased 400 here and they did not lose too many wickets. So that’s a positive sign for us. Whatever they put up on the board, it’s too early to make any predictions. We see a lot of times in Test cricket that game changes within an hour. So yes, we like to be optimistic tomorrow going on the field. And yeah, we’ll take it on from there,” Shardul added.
With ANI inputs
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