Vintage Rahane rides luck against hostile Australian pace at Oval

Ajinkya Rahane during his 89 at The Oval yesterday. Pics/Bipin Patel

Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur kept India in the game with a rearguard 109-run stand, but Australia still managed to take a massive 173-run lead on Day Three of the World Test Championship final here on Friday.

Having reached 260 for six at lunch, India could only manage 36 runs in the afternoon session to end with 296 all out in 69.4 overs. Australia, who made 469 in their first innings, were 120 for four at the time of going to press with Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green batting on 39 and six respectively.

KS Bharat is clean bowled by Australia pacer Scott Boland yesterday

Mohammed Siraj continued to be India's standout bowler in the game and removed David Warner in the fourth over. He bowled his heart out with his sharp short balls roughing up Marnus Labuschagne on two occasions. Rahane (89 off 129 balls) could not add to his tally after the break, and having once again delivered in challenging overseas conditions, fell to a stunning one-handed catch by Cameron Green at gully.

Also Read: How 'vintage' Rahane unleashed mayhem to upset Aussie bowling unit at WTC final

Thakur (51 off 109) was able to get to his third half-century at The Oval with a couple of straight drives off Cummins. India's tail hardly put up a resistance and the team was bowled out midway into the second session. Earlier, Boland ripped through the defence of KS Bharat on the second ball of the day as the Indian wicketkeeper had no answer to a ball that jagged back in sharply from length.

Brief scores
Australia 469 & 120-4 (M Labuschagne 39', S Smith 34; R Jadeja 2-25) v India 296 (A Rahane 89, S Thakur 51, R Jadeja 48; P Cummins 3-83, C Green 2-44, S Boland 2-59, M Starc 2-71) (scores incomplete)

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