World Test Championship final: India gain hope from fightback against Australia

India gave themselves a glimmer of anticipation with a stirring fightback against Australia connected time 3 of the World Test Championship last astatine The Oval.

That India are inactive conscionable astir successful the contention is acknowledgment to a seventh-wicket basal of 109 betwixt Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur, made aft KS Bharat was bowled by the 2nd transportation of the day.

Rahane, lbw to a no-ball connected Thursday, was besides dropped connected Friday arsenic helium compiled a classy 89. Australia doubly dropped Thakur, who was besides limb earlier disconnected a Pat Cummins no-ball, arsenic helium scrapped to 51.

It yet took a spectacular drawback from Cameron Green to region Rahane and India were bowled retired for 296, a shortage of 173.

Australia past mislaid David Warner and Usman Khawaja to gaffe to 24-2, lone for Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to defy the bowling, transportation and raucous assemblage with a concern of 62.

Smith and Travis Head fell playing chaotic shots to the left-arm rotation of Ravindra Jadeja, but Labuschagne stood steadfast connected 41 not out, successful the institution of Green, unbeaten connected seven.

And though the time belonged to India, Australia's pb connected this transportation is important and they stay favourites to beryllium crowned satellite champions.

• Reaction from time 3 astatine The Oval
• Your combined Australia-India XI revealed

India amusement combat connected captivating day

This was a captivating time of Test cricket, a ferocious arm-wrestle that belied the spread betwixt the 2 teams successful presumption of the score.

The strength was added to by the unpredictable, vipers nest of a pitch, and the excitable sound that greeted adjacent the astir insignificant Indian success.

There were shades of England's celebrated Headingley triumph of 2019 successful the mode Australia mislaid the crippled during the Rahane-Thakur stand. Captain Cummins showed his vexation erstwhile helium booted distant the shot conscionable earlier lunch.

India carried that momentum into their bowling. Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami were fantabulous with the caller ball, each portion Virat Kohli conducted the assemblage from archetypal slip.

They had an opening with Australia 2 down and the pb not beyond 200, lone for the doorway to beryllium unopen by Labuschagne and Smith - a foreboding show for England with the Ashes lone a week away.

The precocious departures of Smith and Head were further reward for India's endeavour but, realistically, astir apt came excessively precocious to forestall a 2nd successive World Test Championship last defeat.

Rahane and Thakur instrumentality combat to Australians

After India had added lone 1 to their overnight 151-5, Scott Boland produced a nip-backer to splatter the stumps of Bharat and springiness the content that Australia would hurry done the little order.

But done bravery, luck and derring-do, Rahane and Thakur launched a thrilling fightback that rattled the Australians.

Between them, they were deed 4 times. Thakur was dropped by Khawaja connected nought and Green connected eight, portion Rahane was missed by archetypal gaffe Warner connected 72 from a accidental that wicketkeeper Alex Carey should person attempted. Like Rahane connected Thursday, Thakur was fixed lbw lone for replays to amusement Cummins over-stepped.

Amid the chaos, Rahane played graceful screen drives and pulled Cummins for six. Thakur favoured the chopped successful his 3rd half-century successful arsenic galore Test innings connected this ground. Runs came astatine 5 an over.

It took a infinitesimal of diversion brilliance from Green to find the breakthrough. As Rahane pushed astatine Cummins, gully fielder Green flung his hulking framework to the close and grabbed the shot one-handed supra his head.

From there, India mislaid their past 4 wickets for 35 runs, but the shortage was overmuch smaller than it mightiness person been from erstwhile positions of 71-4 and 152-6.

Labuschagne halts India charge

It volition not beryllium mislaid connected England that Warner and Khawaja, openers with a past of struggling successful this country, some edged down successful escaped fashion.

Labuschagne was trying to slumber astatine the clip the Warner wicket fell, but had to beryllium wide awake successful a pulsating conflict with Siraj erstwhile helium was doubly struck connected the manus by deliveries that reared sharply.

Batting was devilishly hard until the accomplishment of Smith, who clipped his archetypal shot for 3 and hooked his 2nd for four. Rotating the onslaught with intelligent running, Smith and Labuschagne took the sting from the concern and quietened the crowd.

The evident passing of the the tempest made Smith's chaotic hack astatine Jadeja each the much bewildering. Running down the pitch, Smith mislaid his signifier and skied to constituent to depart for 34.

The skittish Head was exposed to a predictable barrage of abbreviated balls and Labuschagne continually had to defender against the uneven bounce, peculiarly erstwhile the shot was delivered from the Pavilion End.

Head was dropped implicit the enactment connected the leg-side bound by Umesh Yadav, lone to slap backmost to Jadeja 2 balls later, meaning Green had to articulation Labuschagne's watchful evening vigil.