For the second consecutive day, India found themselves outplayed by Australia in the World Test Championship final. Day 1 witnessed a lackluster performance from India’s bowlers, while on Day 2, it was the top-order batsmen who failed to deliver when it mattered most. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli, India’s top four, all fell cheaply, leaving the team in a precarious position.
Their inability to surpass 20 runs was a disheartening start to the innings, and Ravindra Jadeja’s middle-order repair work was not enough to salvage the situation. At the end of the day, India stood at 151/5, trailing Australia by a daunting 318 runs with three days left in the match. While Australia’s bowlers deserve credit for their disciplined performance, a closer look reveals that some of India’s dismissals were a result of poor shot selection.
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Both Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara were guilty of shouldering arms to deliveries that ended up hitting their stumps. Gill fell victim to a ball from Scott Boland that darted back in, while Pujara made a similar error, leaving a delivery that held its line. Ravi Shastri, the former India coach, did not hold back in his criticism of Pujara’s dismissal.
On air, Ravi Shastri remarked, “That is leaving it poorly because the front foot has just gone across. It should be going towards the ball; he was looking to play it and then decided whether he should leave it. You see, the way he is leaving it, the off-stump is exposed. The front foot is still middle stump when it’s actually going towards off stump. Watch that front foot. It should be further across and towards the ball. He thought it was outside the off stump. It was an error in judgment.”
What made the dismissal even more disheartening was the fact that Pujara had enjoyed success on the same pitch while playing for Surrey in the County Championship over the past two years. Even during the rescheduled fifth Test match against England at Edgbaston last year, Pujara was selected based on his experience with Surrey. However, he failed to capitalize on that knowledge at The Oval.
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Ravi Shastri expressed his disappointment, stating, “We talk about leaving the ball in England and we always talk about knowing where your off stump is. This is not knowing where your off stump is. See, Shubman Gill being a little lazy with his footwork. He will learn; he is still young, but Pujara will be very disappointing seeing that. It should have been a little further towards the ball and across the line of the ball. That’s why they keep telling you – know where your off stump is.”
India’s top-order struggles have put them in a challenging position in the match, and a strong fightback will be required to overcome Australia’s significant lead and revive their chances in the World Test Championship final.
