Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said that captain Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara will be kicking themselves for throwing their wickets away on Day 4 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia after having started well. Set to chase 444 at The Oval on Saturday, June 10, India lost opener Shubman Gill for 18 after he had stitched 41 with Rohit (43). Rohit and Cheteshwar Pujara (27) then added 51 for the second wicket. However, both gave their wickets away easily.

Speaking on Star Sports after the end of play on Day 4, Shastri said: “You know what’s amazed me though is the way that the pitch has behaved. Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara will be kicking themselves for playing the shots that they played. They were poor shots when they were batting beautifully. Very much a possibility. This game shows us strange things. It has to be a world record chase.”

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However, Team India will resume Day 5 at 164/3, requiring a further 280 runs for a historic win. No team has successfully chased more than 263 at The Oval to win a Test match as well. Meanwhile, a lot of responsibilities are on the shoulder of overnight batters Virat Kohli (44*) and Ajinkya Rahane (20*), who have added 71 runs for the fourth wicket so far as well.

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“The pitch has eased out, the sting is gone, and it made batting a lot easier. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have been in no trouble whatsoever. They have batted beautifully and scored quite easily. It is about coming out tomorrow and weathering the storm in the first hour, that will be crucial for me,” Ravi Shastri concluded.