The Indian cricket team had a challenging start to Day 3 of the ICC World Test Championship final as wicket-keeper batter KS Bharat was dismissed without scoring any runs. Bharat came in to bat at the No.7 position, with Ravindra Jadeja promoted to No.6. Jadeja played an aggressive innings, scoring 48 runs off 51 balls, including 7 fours and 1 six.
As the pitch started deteriorating, it became difficult for players like Rahane and Shardul to dominate the pacers. All eyes were on Rahane, who looked in sublime touch on Day 2 while the other batsmen struggled, except for Jadeja.
Captain Pat Cummins needed to utilize Mitchell Starc as a secret weapon, as his overs would be crucial. Although Starc was slightly expensive on Day 2, he managed to take the prized wicket of Virat Kohli, which changed the course of the match.
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India not only needed to reduce the deficit and avoid the follow-on but also had to bat last on a challenging surface. Trailing by 317 runs, the duo of Shardul and Rahane had a monumental task ahead to stage a comeback.
During an interaction with Sports Today, Sunil Gavaskar expressed his disappointment and stated that Ravindra Jadeja should have shown more resistance when he was on 48 runs. Gavaskar emphasized that Jadeja seemed to be in a rush to achieve a personal milestone.
“He may not have been focused on the team’s call. Batting on 48, he could have been looking to play the delivery for two runs or maybe a single. This is one of the reasons why, at the Test level, you keep a general idea of your score but not the exact number,” Gavaskar remarked.
He added, “There you are in a rush to get the landmark… 100 or 50. It was a good delivery, but you can see that he pushed at it and got out.”