Australia has assumed a dominant position in the ongoing World Test Championship Final against India by easily dismantling the Indian top-order batsmen. After witnessing a resilient partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur in the morning session of the third day, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly took a dig at the Indian top-order batsmen.
Following their substantial first innings deficit, Team India found themselves in a perilous situation on the second day due to a lackluster performance by their star-studded batting lineup. While Virat Kohli fell victim to an exceptional delivery, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara will likely reflect on their dismissals with disappointment.
Sourav Ganguly calls out Indian top-order batsmen
Despite the lackluster performance of the top-order batsmen, Team India exhibited great resilience in the second innings, primarily due to the determined seventh-wicket partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur. Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly praised the duo for their tenacious stand and took a subtle dig at the underperforming top-order batsmen.
“They showed it to the dressing room that if you apply and have a little bit of luck then you will be able to score runs on this wicket. Credit to Rahane, he was magnificent. Shardul got battered and bruised early on but he hung in there. He has batted well in the past in England and Australia. It’s a good fightback from India. This is a message to the top order,” Ganguly said.
Despite Shardul Thakur having some fortunate moments during his time at the crease, the Indian all-rounder achieved a remarkable feat by scoring his third consecutive half-century at The Oval, placing him in an exclusive group of batters. His partnership of 109 runs with Ajinkya Rahane, who narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century by just 11 runs, played a crucial role in India avoiding the follow-on.
