Australia lead by 296 with 6 wickets left
A recurring theme in the last two years whenever India have played Test cricket, is the lower order making up for failures of the top-order.
It played out at The Oval too. With help from Australia.
Scott Boland's vicious in dipper had pierced through the defence of KS Bharat off the second ball of the day to leave India, in pursuit of Australia's mammoth 469, at 152 for 6, on Day Three of the World Test Championship final on Friday.
1/10:WTC Final: Australia heap misery on floundering India
AP
2/10:Pat Cummins
<p>Pat Cummins produced a vicious bowling onslaught to leave India battered and bruised as Australia took a 296-run lead on Day 3 of the WTC final at The Oval on Friday. </p>AP
3/10:Leader of the pack
<p>Australia's four-man pace attack claimed nine wickets between them to dismiss India for 296 in their first innings, with captain Cummins picking up three scalps. </p>Getty Images
4/10:Ajinkya Rahane
<p>Ajinkya Rahane top scored for India with 89, while Shardul Thakur survived some painful hits to his arm to contribute 51. </p>AP
5/10:KS Bharat
<p>The morning session got off to a painful start for India when Scott Boland dislodged KS Bharat's stumps with the second ball of the day. </p>Getty Images
6/10:109-run stand
<p>While Thakur lived dangerously, Rahane went about rescuing India's hopes with his mix of delectable shot selection in the 109-run partnership for the seventh wicket. </p>ANI
7/10:5,000 Test runs
<p>Rahane followed up an exquisite four with a belter of a six to bring up his 26th Test 50 and crossed 5,000 Test runs during his knock which included 11 fours and a six. </p>Reuters
8/10:Rahane falls
<p>Rahane fell 11 runs short of scoring a century after Cummins had him caught by Green and Thakur steered India past the follow-on target before bringing up his 50 with a four. </p>AP
9/10:Shardul Thakur
<p>Thakur soon fell after he edged a Green delivery straight into the gloves of wicketkeeper Alex Carey. </p>AFP
10/10:Mohammed Shami
<p>Umesh Yadav (5), Thakur (51) and Mohammed Shami (13) were out in quick succession as India lost their last four wickets for 35 runs. </p>APShardul Thakur walked in to join forces with Ajinkya Rahane. India's deficit was still 317. But in Thakur and Rahane, India had two men in with steel and skill. And unusually, in Australia, a sloppy opponent. Thakur was dropped off the fourth ball he faced by Usman Khawaja at third slip off Boland.
Aussie skipper Pat Cummins, who had won an lbw verdict against Rahane on Day Two, only to see it reversed because he had overstepped, then produced an edge from Thakur. Cameron Green though shelled a dolly at gully.
The skipper though ran in and hit the divots on the pitch, causing the ball to misbehave. He struck Thakur on his forearm off successive balls with the batter needing lengthy medical timeouts. Rahane, who was struck on the finger on Day Two, copped another one.
It didn't stop him though from putting on a cover driving clinic. Playing Tests after 512 days, he got to his 50, with a delectable swivel pull off Cummins that landed in the crowd over fine-leg.
Thakur, who struck twin 50s in the 2021 Test vs England here, too derived confidence from Rahane's frequent guidance and defended well. When the bad ball came along, like a half-volley from Mitchell Starc, he drilled it for four to cover.
The captain brought himself on before lunch seeing Rahane strike off-spinner Nathan Lyon for two fours and got Thakur leg-before. To Cummins' horror, when the batsman reviewed it, the big screen showed that he was over the popping crease. Again.
He also saw Rahane reprieved on 72 when the batter's thick edge was grassed by David Warner at first slip.
India had scored 109 runs in the pre-lunch session in 22 overs, losing Bharat, but post lunch, the Aussies employed tighter fields. It induced the error from Rahane, who punched the skipper to Green who caught it clean at gully despite being at full stretch and the ball being behind him.
India avoided the follow-on with Thakur producing two glorious drives and getting to 51, before falling caught behind to Green. Cummins cleaned up Umesh Yadav while Starc dismissed Mohammed Shami to bowl out India for 296 and earn the Aussies a first innings lead of 173.
Buoyed by the fightback, Mohammed Siraj snared David Warner caught behind for 1.
Australia took tea at 23 for 1 and post the break, Yadav dismissed Khawaja to leave the Aussies at 24 for 2 and a lead of 197. Steve Smith (34) chose to counterattack and added 62 runs in 16 overs with Marnus Labuschagne (batting 41).
With the lead on 259, Smith had a brain fade as he tried to launch Jadeja into the crowd at long-off and was caught by Thakur at cover. Siraj's intimidating short ball tactic against first innings centurion Travis Head disturbed his rhythm enough to attempt a cover drive off Jadeja from the rough outside off-stump to be caught and bowled.
Green and Labuschagne then survived a testing spell from Shami to end the day at 123 for 4. Australia though are in the box seat with a lead of 296.
