WTC Final, IND vs AUS Day 2 Highlights: India at 151/5 after conclusion of Day 2

The conclusion of day two saw India amassing 151/5 runs, needing to trail by 318 runs

Nathan Lyon dismissed Ravindra Jadeja for 48 off 51 balls. India 142/5 in 34.3 Overs.

Ajinkya Rahane survived after being given out LBW. He appealed the decision and it turned out that Cummins overstepped. 

Mitchell Starc dismissed Virat Kohli for 14 off 31 balls. India 71/4 in 18.2 overs. 

Pat Cummins dismissed Rohit Sharma for 15 off 26 balls. India 30/1 in 6 overs. 

Scott Boland dismissed Shubman Gill for 13 off 15 balls. 30/2 in 6.4 overs. 

Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has called Scott Boland the toughest Australian bowler on the field against India in the WTC final.  

The more I watch this test match , i feel SCOTT BOLAND will be the toughest bowler to face for the Indian batters #WTCFinal #WTCFinal2023 #CricketTwitter

— DK (@DineshKarthik) June 8, 2023

Rohit Sharma played a pull shot off Starc's bowling to score his first boundary. 

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill opened the batting for India. Mitchell Starc took the new ball for Australia. 

Siraj removed Nathan Lyon for 9 off 25 balls to pick up his 3rd wicket. 

Ravindra Jadeja took out Alex Carey and limited his runs to 48 runs in 69 balls, AUS at 455/8

Australia remains in a favourable zone after reaching 422/7 as India strikes some crucial wickets, teams head back for lunch

An incredible effort from Axar Patel aided India as they got Mitchell Starc off the game, AUS at 402/7

Australia scores 400 off 6 wickets in Day two

Shardul Thakur strikes back with a second wicket as he knocks Steve Smith's bails off. AUS at 387/6

With the aid of Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami takes down Cameron Green as he got caught out

India could finally take a wicket as Siraj takes down Head and takes the first wicket of Day two

Travis Head reaches a gigantic 153 runs in WTC Final. Australia at 345/3 against India

Three balls in Day two, and Steve Smith takes up a century AUS at 336/3

Day two officially begins in London as both teams arrive on the pitch

The Day 2 of the India vs Australia World Test Championship Final to get underway soon and the match is expected to start at 03:00 PM IST. 

India batsman Ajinkya Rahane was included in the team on the basis of his domestic and IPL performance. He would like to play a big knock on his comeback. 

Indian batsman Virat Kohli till now has scored 941 fours for the Indian team in his Test career and now just needs nine boundaries to complete the 950 run mark. 

Team India batsman Shubman Gill has been in excellent form ahead of the WTC Final 2023 and the team will look forward for yet another performance from the right-handed opener. 

The Australian team finished the Day 1 of the World Test Championship 2023 on a high as they scored 327/3. With Travis Head and Steve Smith steady at the crease, they would like to achieve a big score and get ahead into the match. 

India pacer Mohammed Siraj removed Australia opener Usman Khawaja for a duck on Day 1 of the WTC Final. He would once again have the responsibility to remove well-set Steve Smith and Travis Head on Day 2. 

The Indian team captain Rohit Sharma will aim to lead from the front against Australia in the WTC Final and will like to score runs with the bat and also anchor Team India's comeback on Day 2. 

Indian batsman Virat Kohli has an old love affair with the Aussies and has scored 1,979 runs at an average of 48.26 in the 24 Tests. Virat Kohli will look to lead Team India's comeback when they come out to bat. 

Steve Smith looked in total control during the Day 1 of the World Test Championship Final against and is currently batting on 95. The right-handed batter will look to score a ton and also add new records to his career. 

The Indian captain Rohit Sharma though didn't have a nice outing on Day 1 of the WTC Final but also achieved a unique captaincy feat. Rohit became the oldest captain at the age of 36 years and 38 days to lead India in a major ICC Final.

Smith-Head's partnership is the highest in any major ICC Final

Travis Head and Steve Smith added 251 runs in 370 balls and ended the Day 1 of the World Test Championship Final 2023 vs India. Head and Smith now hold the record of having the highest partnership at any major ICC event. Before them, former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn had added 234 runs against India at the ICC 2003 World Cup final in Johannesburg.

Three major records made on Day 1 of IND vs AUS WTC Final 

1. Travis Head, the first centurion in a WTC Final: Australia batsman Travis Head became the first centurion of any WTC Final. Head produced a batting masterclass on a batting-friendly pitch at the Kennington Oval and completed his hundred in just 106 balls. He will look to reach the 200-run mark when he will come out to bat on Day 2. 
2. Smith-Head's partnership is the highest in any major ICC Final: Travis Head and Steve Smith added 251 runs in 370 balls and ended the Day 1 of the World Test Championship Final 2023 vs India. Head and Smith now hold the record of having the highest partnership at any major ICC event. Before them, former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn had added 234 runs against India at the ICC 2003 World Cup final in Johannesburg.
3. Rohit Sharma becomes the oldest captain to lead India in a major ICC Final: India captain Rohit Sharma after being put on the back foot by the Aussie batters on Day 1 will look forward to bouncing back on Day 2 with the bat. Though the Indian skipper also made a record on Day 1 and became the oldest captain at the age of 36 years and 38 days to lead India in a major ICC Final.

The Australian team is well placed to achieve a good first innings score after they have finished Day 1 at 327/3. Travis Head and Steve Smith are batting well on 146 and 95 respectively and have already adder 251 runs for the fourth wicket. The team now would be eyeing a big score on Day 2. 

After the Australian batters put up a brilliant batting show on Day 1, the Indian team now also wish to restrict Australia quickly on Day 2 and also make a come back with the bat. 

The Indian team felt the absence of R Ashwin on Day 1 of the World Test Championship Final and went with the combination of four seamers and one spinner. The Aussie batters put up a dominating show on Day 1 and now are in the driver's seat. However, Team India has defended its decision of not playing Ashwin in the all-important WTC Final. Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said in the post-Day 1 press interaction, "It is always a very difficult decision to drop a champion bowler like him. Looking at the conditions in the morning we thought an additional seamer would be beneficial." 

Australian batsman Travis Head is well placed at the crease on 146 and will be eyeing a double hundred against India on the Day 2 of the World Test Championship. 

The pitch on Day 2 is yet again expected to be good for the batsmen and the pacers can get early help from the pitch. 

The weather on Day 2, is expected to be the same as Day 1 and no change in weather is expected. The cloud cover can rise up to 25 percent and there is a one percent chance of rain. 

The Australian cricket team is certainly in the driver's seat after the end of Day 1 of the World Test Championship Final between India and Australia. Travis Head (146*) and Steve Smith's (95*) unbeaten 251-run partnership in just 370 balls has provided Australia an edge over the match. 

Team India after starting off well in the first session on Day 1 was put behind by the Aussies in the second and the third session and Travis Head and Steve Smith's 251-run partnership put the Kangaroos in the driver's seat on Day 1. The team would be eyeing a comeback on Day 2 and restrict Australia as quickly as possible.