India finds itself in a precarious position in the World Test Championship final as Australia has established a commanding lead of 296 runs with six wickets in hand. The Indian team will now face the daunting task of completing one of the highest successful chases at The Oval with limited time remaining in the match.
Several factors have contributed to India’s struggle, starting with the decision to exclude Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI. After conceding a substantial first-innings total of 469, India’s top-order collapsed early at 71/4, leaving them in a difficult situation. Despite a valiant fightback from Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur, their twin half-centuries were not enough to put India in a favorable position. While there is still a glimmer of hope, chasing a target of over 300 in the fourth innings against a formidable bowling attack like Australia’s poses a significant challenge.
Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali has launched a scathing critique of Team India for their underwhelming performance in the World Test Championship final against Australia. Ali criticized India’s bowling performance in the first innings and highlighted the recurring issue of the top-order failures in ICC knockout matches. With Australia firmly in control at the end of Day 3, it appears highly unlikely for India to stage a comeback in the remaining two days.
“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 India fielded, I could see only 2-3 players being fit – Rahane, Kohli and Jadeja. The rest looked tired,” the former batter said on his YouTube channel.
Ali further directed his criticism towards coach Rahul Dravid, expressing disappointment with his coaching abilities despite acknowledging his admiration for the former Indian captain. Ali questioned the team management’s tactics, particularly in preparing turning pitches in India and failing to adapt to the bouncy pitches in Australia during their previous tour. He expressed his perplexity over Dravid’s decision-making and suggested that he lacked the necessary foresight. While Ali remains an ardent fan of Dravid as a player, he believes Dravid’s coaching abilities have been lacking, irrespective of his achievements with India A and the senior men’s team.
“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 India. 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 raha tha toh pata nahi kaha pahaado ke peeche chhupe huye thhe (God knows where he was when god was distributing brains),” said Ali.
