Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli formed a crucial partnership of 71 runs to keep India’s hopes alive in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. This partnership helped India reach a total of 164/3 at the end of the day’s play, leaving them with a challenging target of 280 more runs for victory.
WTC Final Day 5 Pitch Report
After a week of dry and sunny weather in London, a significant change in the weather is expected during the final two days of the WTC final between India and Australia. According to Accuweather.com, thunderstorms are forecasted for the last two days of the summit clash. There is a 70% likelihood of rainfall on Saturday, which could potentially disrupt the match. The temperature will hover around 25 degrees Celsius, accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 37 km/hr.
Throughout the initial four days of the match, the weather conditions in London were clear and sunny. However, the pitch curator intentionally left a significant amount of grass on the pitch. This grass cover has been present for nearly five days and has provided assistance to the seam bowlers, resulting in early wickets.
Also read: WTC Final Day 4 Highlights: Kohli-Rahane Push India to 164/3 at Stumps
Typically, on this particular pitch, batting becomes easier as the match progresses.It was widely anticipated that the captain who won the toss would opt to bowl first, and this is precisely what Rohit Sharma did. This Test match being held at The Oval in June is a first-time occurrence.