Day 3 was less of a hell-bound for India, as they managed to avoid the dreadful follow-on, by scoring 296 run-rally before getting it all out. Basit Ali, a former Pakistani Batter, claims that India already lost the game when they opted to bowl first in overcast conditions. Basit Ali, who played 19 tests and 50 ODIs for Pakistan, feels that the only way India can save the WTC Final is through a miracle.
India’s grip in the World Test Championship final is slipping, as Australia’s bowling and batting attack has been remarkable since its inception. If Rahane and Thakur had not been there to shield India in the middle, they would have lost long ago, it was their dynamic partnership of 109 runs on the 7th wicket that facilitated India to put up a score of 296.
“He Is A Class Player, A Legend. But As A Coach, He Is Absolutely Zero..” Basit Ali
Basit Ali, bashed the Indian players for their severe performance in WTC Finals, and did not spare the coach as well, as he opined that Dravid was a fantastic player, and the former is a great fan of his, but in terms of coaching, he isn’t that impressive or successful. He mentioned that on his YouTube channel:
“India lost the match the moment they chose to bowl worrying about the first two hours. And the kind of bowling that was on display was just like IPL. By lunch, the Indian bowlers appeared so happy as if they’d won the match. All India can do now is hope to get them out cheaply and hope for a miracle in the fourth innings. During the 120 overs that Indian fielded, I could see only 2-3 players being fit- Rahane, Kohli and Jadeja. The rest looked tired,” Basit Ali said on his YouTube Channel.
“I am a huge Rahul Dravid fan, have always been and will remain. He is a class player, a legend. But as a coach, he is absolutely zero. You prepared turning pitches on Indi,” he stated.
“Just answer me this. When India travelled to Australia, were there similar wickets? They had bouncy pitches, right? God knows what he was thinking. Jab Upar wala akal baant rha tha toh pata nahi kaha pahaado ke peeche chhupe huye the (God knows where he was when god was distributing brains),” he added.
Highlights on Day 3 Of WTC Finals:
India put up a great fight against Australia on the third day, Rahane and Thakur’s long-stand partnership of 109 runs on 7th wicket kept India’s hope alive, as they avoided the follow-on. The veteran batter made a fashionable comeback, after he was dropped for South Africa tour in 2022, due to his poor performance, but he retained his position in the Indian team, as he played exceptionally well in IPL as well as in Ranji. His heroic innings of 89 runs facilitated India to surpass the border of 269 runs.
Shardul Thakur joined hands with Rahane, and the former notched a half-century, before getting eliminated by Cameron Green. Rahane looked formidable and destined to reach the three figure mark but failed to do so as he was quickly dismissed by Cummins after lunch break. The Australian skipper dismissed Umesh Yadav soon after, and Mohammad Shami lost his wicket to Mitchell Starc in the quest for some quick runs.
Australia’s batting so far has been an average, as they are starring themselves down on a barrel of 123/4, though they are still leading 296 runs and will comfortably reach the 300 mark by today. India will look to take wickets in a rapid-fire manner and will try to withhold them under 200 to stand a chance of winning. It is going to be a difficult task as Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green are both playing commendable, India has to find ways to dismiss them quickly and curb Australia from gathering runs.