India are currently assuming Australia in the end of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 at the Kennington Oval in London. Australia batted first and put a whopping total of 469 runs on board.
In response, the Indian top order did not live up to their reputations such as Rohit Sharma (15), Shubman Gill (13), Cheteshwar Pujara (14) and virat kohli (14) couldn’t hit big. Australia dismantled India’s hopes of getting anywhere near their score with a disciplined game of bowling on the second day.
High hopes were placed on Kohli, who was coming on the back of his recent success in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. However, he too failed to stop the hitting collapse.
Kohli came to the crease after the two starters went off when the team score was 30. Chasing a great first-innings total, all hopes were pinned on him to play longer and move the team closer to Australia’s total. Kohli started his inning with a set template of driving balls into holes and racking up runs.
mitchell starcNot getting off to a great innings start, he came back on the attack for his second spell in the 17th. Kohli welcomed him with the trademark cover, and with that, he moved into double digits. The 34-year-old hitter began to look confident and was ready for a big score.
However, in the 19th, Australia’s left-arm pacemaker dealt a death blow to Team India’s hopes when he dismissed Kohli with a bowed delivery out of thin air. Bowling from the wicket, Starc fired a short ball that bounced back fiercely, catching Kohli off guard. The former India captain, who was on the front foot, was unable to handle it properly. The ball came out of the gloves and went straight to Steve Smith on the second slip, who had to reach up to catch an excellent overhand catch.
Following Kohli’s sacking, Ravindra Jadeja (48 of 51 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane (29 of 71 batting) offered the keen Indian supporter some hope with the pair of 71 before the former fell to Nathan Lyon minutes before the close of play. . India were reeling at 151 for five on stumps in response to Australia’s first-innings score, trailing by 318.
Earlier, centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith led Australia to a score of 469 runs. India put up a good fight on Day 2 after taking just three wickets on the first day, with Mohamed Siraj‘s four wicket haul leads them. Alex Carey’s quick 48 helped Australia cross the 450-run mark, after which India ensured the opposition’s tail didn’t move too far.
