On June 11, the hopes of India's first World Test Championship (WTC) title were at their peak as two of the greatest batters in the game, Virat Kohli and his senior partner Ajinkya Rahane, took the field against Australia. They needed to score 280 runs on the final day of the summit clash.
With all three possible outcomes in the game, Pat Cummins and his Australian team had the upper hand on the decisive day of the title clash.
After managing to score only 296 runs in their first innings, India's second innings ended on a disappointing note as they were bowled out for 234. They lost their last seven wickets within 55 runs in a single session on day 5. Australia set a formidable target of 444 runs for India, thanks to their impressive first innings lead.
Now, let's analyze the mistakes made by India in this crucial encounter, which resulted in their second consecutive WTC Final loss in just two years.
1. Failing to take quick wickets
The decision to bowl first on the green top at The Oval was made to take advantage of the overcast conditions on the opening day. Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj had a strong start for India, causing trouble for Usman Khawaja and David Warner with their impressive opening spell. Before lunch, Siraj and Shardul Thakur managed to dismiss Khawaja and Warner. However, considering the assistance from the surface, Australia should have lost at least five wickets.
After lunch, Steve Smith and Travis Head made batting look effortless for Australia, forming a record-breaking partnership of 285 runs. This shifted the momentum in Australia's favor as they went on to score 469 runs in their first innings. Smith scored 121 runs, while Head piled up 163 runs, becoming the first player to score a century in the WTC Final. Later, Smith also joined this prestigious list.
2. India's top-order debacle
Whether it was the first innings or the second, India's top order struggled. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill had partnerships of only 30 and 40 runs respectively in the match. Rohit showed promise on the fourth day but couldn't go beyond 43 runs, while Gill (18) was unlucky in the second innings when his catch was controversially taken by Cameron Green at third slip, a decision supported by third umpire Richard Kettleborough. On the other hand, Australia had a much worse opening stand, with only two runs in both innings. However, the performance of their middle order overshadowed the struggles of the openers.
3. Middle order issue
On the contrary, India's middle order continued to struggle overseas, with the exception of Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli. Chesteshwar Pujara, who had been playing county cricket for Sussex, turned out to be the biggest disappointment for India in a one-off Test. He only managed to score 14 and 27 runs respectively, and on both occasions, he carelessly lost his wicket to the bowlers.
4. Absence of Rishabh Pant
In the second innings, apart from Kohli and Rahane, no other middle-order batsman was able to surpass 27 runs for India. Wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat failed to make a significant contribution in the most important match of his career. During the second innings, Indian fans felt the absence of the dynamic Rishabh Pant, who is currently sidelined due to a serious car accident he was involved in last December.
5. Indian batters struggle with deliveries outside the off-stump
Once again, the Indian batsmen demonstrated their inability to handle deliveries outside the off-stump in challenging English conditions. Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon claimed five wickets each, while Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins took four wickets apiece for Australia.
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