Team India pace bowler Mohammad Shami has said that they have complete belief that they can chase down 444 on Day 5 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia on Sunday, June 11. However, India will create history if they manage to chase down the total as the highest-ever successful chase at The Oval is 263, which happened way back in 1902. Notably, on Sunday, India will resume their second innings on 164/3, and Shami shared that they have confidence in India creating history.
Speaking after the end of the fourth day’s play, he said: “One hundred percent everyone believes that tomorrow [Sunday] we will win the match. We always fight, we perform well around the world. So we believe and we will all come together to win this match. It doesn’t matter what happened in Sydney or Brisbane, we are playing here. We have to think about tomorrow and we will win the match. I believe that the Test match should go until the fifth day and maybe until the last session. That’s the real test. So we have to bat well and they have to bowl well to save themselves.”
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However, India got off to a good start as openers Rohit Sharma (43) and Shubman Gill (18) added 41 as well. But both batters failed to convert starts, while Cheteshwar Pujara also fell for 27 as well. Later, an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 71 between Virat Kohli (44*) and Ajinkya Rahane (20*) helped India. They need a further 280 for victory on Day 5, with seven wickets in hand for the win.
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“If you bat well, 280 runs is not a big score. So I think you should bat normally as a Test match; focus on playing ball by ball. You should not look at the long target. When you keep small goals and targets, you will get more success. Yes, I am always ready. Especially in England, there is a need to make partnerships. I think everyone can bat in today’s Indian team cricket and, hopefully, we will win tomorrow,” he concluded.
