Welcome to the Pleasuredome! Final day shoot-out to decide World Test Champions
Day 4, World Test Championship, The Oval.
Day 4, World Test Championship, The Oval.
Saturday 10th June 2023
Australia 469 all out and 270–8 declared
India 296 all out and 164–3
Australia lead by 280 runs
Since the close of play on Day 1 I have posited that Australia are in the box seats, ahead of the game and on course to be crowned Test Match Champions of the World. Here at the end of Day 4 I see no reason to change my overblown opinion other than to stress we have the real possibility of a humdinger of a day of Test Match cricket to look forward to tomorrow, all four results are possible and on the table, and crowd darling Virat Kohli is 44 not out overnight and looking in imperious form ahead of tomorrow’s shoot-out.
As I strolled along the River Severn in the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury and taking advantage of making yet more memories with my beautiful son as well as worshipping at the altar of both the town’s majestic Abbey and a beautiful sun high in a cloudless sky, I was blissfully unaware of Australia’s progress from their overnight total of 123–4 to their eventual declared 2nd innings total of 270–8, whilst not forgetting the small matter of setting India a record breaking 444 runs to win in the process. Returning in time to see this Aussie declaration and the swashbuckling and counter attacking innings’ of Indian captain Rohit Sharma and a bubbling crowd’s favoured cricketing son, Virat Kohli, in essence, nothing had really changed come the end of play “Stumps” at 6pm local time. OK maybe a little of the match momentum had changed with Kohli’s brilliant partnership of 71 with Ajinkya Rahane and to take their team from a precarious 93–3 to an overnight total of 164–3 was a mighty effort from the Indian batsmen and, perhaps very crucially indeed, Kohli will be returning fresh in the morning and with 44 runs already pencilled against his name.
But cricket is, and will always be, a numbers game. Australia started the day with a 296 run advantage with 6 of their own wickets in the batting “shed”. They ended the day with a 279 run advantage BUT now just needing 7 Indian wickets for a World Champion victory. In the quixotic numbers game of cricket, India have effectively rubbed 17 runs from the Australian lead but have, in effect, lost 3 wickets in the process, and all despite taking 4 Aussie wickets today and scoring 164 counter attacking runs themselves.
Therein lies yet another example of why I adore Test Match cricket, together with a team heavily on top for three and three quarter days and still major favourites for a famous victory, could still be overhauled for a victory that will be seen as even more remarkable. That today, on the surface, appears to have stagnated between days three and four but has in fact escalated to the certainty of a final day shoot-out, all results possible, and the overwhelming favourite since the second hour of day one maybe, just maybe, could still be pipped at the post by an outplayed opponent seemingly chasing the impossible.
Do not discount Aussie wicket-keeper Alex Carey’s 66 not out today to add to his well played 48 in the 1st innings. Without those runs, Australia may well have collapsed far shorter of the eventual 444 runs they set for victory and his 114 combined runs (and 3 catches behind the stumps) may prove invaluable come the evening session tomorrow. Please also do not discount the captain’s roles today and throughout the Test Match. Rohit Sharma blistered his way to 43 runs this evening before making one mistake that cost him his wicket, but his no nonsense counter attack started his team’s run chase so spectacularly well. His counterpart Pat Cummins has 4 wickets in the match hence far and is by far and away Australia’s most dangerous and attacking bowler. He may have a huge part to play in tomorrow’s final day.
Which brings us nicely in conclusion to the X Factor of the entire Test Match now: Virat Kohli. The Oval in London tomorrow is sure to be 7/8ths filled with raucous Indian fans baying for their hero to chase them over the line for a famous victory. If he’s still not out at the Lunch Break, experience suggests he’ll have doubled his overnight score of 44 to 88 and combined with his batting team-mates, will have reduced the Australian lead to perhaps 200. All big if’s, but if Kohli reaches lunch not out and India have only lost 1 wicket, then it’s 200 runs to win with 6 wickets in hand AND Virat Kohli, bat in hand and cheerleading from the very centre of The Oval.
Quite the prospect to look forward to!
That said, I still make Australia overwhelming favourites and I foresee them winning and being crowned World Champions with a 100+ run victory by mid-afternoon tomorrow.
Time will tell.
It always does.
As it will for your humble cricket correspondent as with the English Summer taking a hiatus for a violent thunderstorm this evening, I will be foregoing my travels tomorrow and cannot wait to rise in the morning, make my first cup of tea of the morning, and settle in with what could be a stupendous day of Test Match cricket.
And why not? The grandest of all games may have quite the Sunday surprise in store tomorrow, and The Ashes are now only six days away.
Thanks for reading. Here are my daily recaps from the first three days in this enthralling World Test Championship:
Aussies set down dominant marker ahead of The Ashes
Day 1: World Test Championship, The Oval.medium.com
Australia on course to be World Test Champs after just 2 days at The Oval
Day 2, World Test Championship, The Oval.medium.com
Green “screamer” at The Oval as Australia favourites for World Crown
Day 3, World Test Championship, The Oval.medium.com