At the beginning of the day, Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur's partnership laid the groundwork for the Indians to fight back after having their backs against the wall for the better part of two days.
Rahane was hit on his right hand's index finger by an extra bounce delivery from Australia skipper Pat Cummins in the 22nd over of India's batting on Day 2 of the WTC Final.
Star allrounder Ravindra Jadeja's remarkable spell enabled India raise visions of an unlikely win at the close of play on Day 3 of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Oval on Friday.
The Second Secretary of Trade and Economics, Australia, Tom Overton Clarke, named his favourite cricketer at the live screening of the World Test Championship final between Australia and India at the Australian High Commission on Friday.
"It's a long shot right now. It will take us a miracle to win from where we were yesterday. At least, we are not going down to a humiliating defeat," Tharoor told ANI in London on Friday.
Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane crossed the 5000-run mark in the Test format and became the 13th Indian batter to achieve the milestone on Friday against Australia in the World Test Championship final at the Oval.
Even as Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur managed to reignite India's hope of making a comeback in the WTC final, Australian bowlers once again showcased their prowess, with skipper Pat Cummins dismissing Rahane at the beginning of the second session.
India went to Lunch at 260/6 of 60 overs, with Shardul Thakur and Ajinkya Rahane surviving some anxious moments at the crease to stay unbeaten at the personal scores of 36(83)* and 89(122)* respectively.
After the toss, Rohit Sharma said, "We are going to bowl. The conditions and also the weather being overcast. The pitch won't change too much. Four seamers and one spinner. The spinner is Jadeja. It's always tough (to leave Ashwin), he's been a match-winner. He (Rahane) brings a lot of ex
Australia ended at the top of the WTC table with 11 wins, three losses, five draws in 19 matches whereas India ended in second position with 10 wins, five losses and three draws.
With two years of dedicated hard work and numerous ups and downs, the team's relentless efforts have finally brought them to the pinnacle of the game. Reflecting on his experience as a coach, Dravid also shared his delight in working with a fantastic group of players, forging strong relat