India vs Australia, WTC Final 2023, Day 2: Top-order Failure Leaves India With Mountain To Climb

The failure of India's famed top-order against a high-quality pace attack in a pressure game put Australia in firm control of the World Test Championship final in London on Thursday. Ravindra Jadeja (48 off 51 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane (29 batting off 71) offered hope to the partisan Indian supporters at The Oval with a 71-run stand off 100 balls before the former fell to Nathan Lyon 20 minutes before close of play. India were reeling at 151 for five at stumps in response to Australia's first innings score of 469, trailing by 318 runs.

While the Indian bowlers failed to use the bouncer effectively on day one, the likes of Shubman Gill (13) and Cheteshwar Pujara (14) committed the cardinal sin of misjudging the line and length on a pitch with variable bounce.

Credit should also go to the relentless Australian pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland, who got much more out of The Oval surface than their Indian counterparts.

Australia added 142 runs to their overnight total for the loss of seven wickets before being bowled out one hour into the afternoon session. Mohammed Siraj cleaned up the tail and was the pick of India's bowlers with four wickets.

Leaving the ball is a key element of batting in English conditions and that is where Gill and Pujara were found wanting. The in-form Gill showed promise before he inexplicably decided to leave an incoming ball from Boland, leaving his stumps rattled.

Pujara, who had the advantage of being in England well before his teammates arrived, offered no shot to a length ball from Cameron Green that cut in sharply from fourth stump.

The slide began with the fall of skipper Rohit Sharma (15) who missed an angled in ball from Cummins in the sixth over to be trapped lbw.

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