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"India Would Be Proud Of...": Ravi Shastri Points Out Silver Lining In Team India's Performance At WTC Final

India's Ajinkya Rahane revived his international career with a courageous effort in seaming conditions but it could not prevent Australia from extending their supremacy in the World Test Championship final at The Oval in London on Friday. Playing his first Test in 18 months and with his side's back against the wall, Rahane weathered a hostile spell from Australian pacers on way to a memorable 89 off 129 balls on the third day and took India to 296 all out from 152 for six.

"This Is A Message To The Top Order...": Sourav Ganguly Delivers Verdict On Indian Cricket Team At WTC Final

Former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly was all praise for Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur for their resilient performance but he also took a sly dig at the top-order batters on Day 3 of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at The Oval on Friday. India were all out for 296 in their first innings but both batters scored half-centuries to keep them in the game. Ganguly said that they showed it to the dressing room how to bat on the surface and this can be seen as a "message to the top order".

"Won't Be Thumping His Chest When...": Sunil Gavaskar Praises Ajinkya Rahane Post Fifty In WTC Final

After Australia posted 469 runs in their first innings of the World Test Championship final at the Oval, the Indian batters -- except Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur -- struggled to get going. As a result, India were reduced to 152 for 6. Rahane's fighting 89 played a crucial role in helping India post 296 runs from that point. It was the 26th Test fifty for Rahane. Praising the India batter for his knock, legendary player Sunil Gavaskar termed Rahane as a 'low-profile player'.

"Not That Much Of A Surprise...": Sunil Gavaskar's Honest Take On Rohit Sharma's Dismissal

India captain Rohit Sharma's torrid run of form continued on Thursday as he was dismissed on a score of 15 by his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) Final. Rohit, who had endured a poor outing during the recently concluded Indian Premier League season (IPL), tried to play Cummins' delivery across the line, but was beaten by pace and the ball hit his pads straight in front of the stumps. Former India captain Sunil Gavasar said he wasn't surprised with Rohit's mode of dismissal as he has been getting out to similar deliveries during the IPL.

"He Wasn't Able To...": India Legend Dissects Virat Kohli's Dismissal By Mitchell Starc

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar pointed out what went wrong with Virat Kohli during his dismissal in the ongoing World Test Championship final on Thursday. A bouncing short ball from Mitchell Starc hit the shoulder of Kohli's bat and went into the hands of Steve Smith at second slip during India's first innings against Australia in the summit clash. Gavaskar opined that batting on the backfoot would have helped Kohli in playing such a delivery as it would have given him time to decide whether to leave the ball or play it.

"Get Past The Score Of...": Sunil Gavaskar Sets Priorities For Under-fire India In WTC Final vs Australia

After a disappointing Day 1 at the World Test Championship final at The Oval in London, India showed early promise on the second day against Australia as they took regular wickets. However, the Indian batting top-order failed to negate the barrages from Australian bowlers as the Rohit Sharma-led team reached 151/5 at stumps. With Australia scoring 469 in the first innings, India still trail them by 318 runs. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that the first target for the Indian team would be to surpass the follow-on score.

"Almost Like A Retired Cricketer...": Why WTC Final Can Be Great From Ajinkya Rahane, Ex-India Star Explains

When the Indian squad for the World Test Championship was announced, the presence of Ajinkya Rahane made cricket fans happy. The veteran player, an experienced campaigner of many battles, made a comeback to the Indian side after almost 18 months. The 34-year-old, who led Mumbai during the entire domestic season, scored nearly 700 runs but what stood out was how he has improved his attacking game in the IPL. Former India player analysed Rahane's return and explained how it might be good match for him.

Steve Smith Is Best Test Player Of This Generation: Virat Kohli

India's star batter Virat Kohli praised Australian batter Steve Smith, naming him the "best Test player" of this generation. Before the start of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, Virat Kohli featured in a video where he lauded Smith. "Steve Smith, according to me, is the best Test player of this generation. He has displayed that his adaptability is absolutely brilliant. You take any cricketer of this generation... in 85-90 Tests, he has an average of 60 which is quite unbelievable. The consistency and impact with which he scores runs, I haven't seen anyone else doing that in last 10 years. Definitely, Steve Smith, along with Marnus Labuschagne, are their main players in the batting order because they control their batting lineup," Virat told Star Sports.

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"India Would Be Proud Of...": Ravi Shastri Points Out Silver Lining In Team India's Performance At WTC Final

"This Is A Message To The Top Order...": Sourav Ganguly Delivers Verdict On Indian Cricket Team At WTC Final

"Won't Be Thumping His Chest When...": Sunil Gavaskar Praises Ajinkya Rahane Post Fifty In WTC Final

"Not That Much Of A Surprise...": Sunil Gavaskar's Honest Take On Rohit Sharma's Dismissal

"He Wasn't Able To...": India Legend Dissects Virat Kohli's Dismissal By Mitchell Starc

"Get Past The Score Of...": Sunil Gavaskar Sets Priorities For Under-fire India In WTC Final vs Australia

"Almost Like A Retired Cricketer...": Why WTC Final Can Be Great From Ajinkya Rahane, Ex-India Star Explains

Steve Smith Is Best Test Player Of This Generation: Virat Kohli