How India Can Win WTC Final 2023 Against Australia? AB De Villiers Comes Up With Fine Blueprint
New Delhi: Former South African captain AB de Villiers has found a blueprint for India on the final day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia on Sunday and find them the winning formula at the Oval.
India finished Day 4 on 164/3 and need 280 runs more to pocket their first ICC title in 10 years. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are currently at the crease batting on 44 and 20 respectively and need to play their skins out to even eke out a draw.
Kohli’s former teammate at Royal Challengers Bangalore, De Villiers figured out how India can have a chance of wining the WTC final. “If India can find a way to for Lyon to go at 5’s.. lose max 1 more wicket until the 2nd new ball.. u never know,” the South African tweeted.
If India can find a way to for Lyon to go at 5’s.. lose max 1 more wicket until the 2nd new ball.. u never know
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) June 10, 2023
With a green cover on the strip, both teams opted for pace-heavy bowling combination with one spinner to give a break to the fast bowlers. Nathan Lyon, who is the only off-spinner in the Australian line-up bowled just four overs in the Indian first innings. On Day 4, Australian captain Pat Cummins used Lyon for 11 overs that also yielded the dismissal of Rohit Sharma.
As far as India are concerned, the match hasn’t gone away from their hands and both Kohli and Rahane will have to step up to win it for them. The Kohli and Rahane pair have done it against Australia in the past. In the third Test in the 2014 Border Gavaskar Trophy, the Kohli-Rahane duo set up a 262-run stand for the fourth wicket in the Indian first innings and helped them play a draw at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. While Kohli scored 169, Rahane’s bat yielded 141 runs.
The first hour of play on the final day will be crucial for both the teams. If the Rahane-Kohli pair manage to negate the Australian pace attack consisting of Scott Boland, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, the Indians give themselves an outside chance of winning the game and the title.