Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane revive India's hopes in daunting battle against Australia. WTC(2023)

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane revive India's hopes in daunting battle against Australia.

At the close of Day 4 in the World Test Championship final, Australia held a commanding position against India. They set India a challenging target of 444 runs to win in just over four sessions and dismissed India's top three batsmen by the end of the day.

Starting Day 4 with a lead of 296 runs and six wickets in hand, Australia faced disciplined bowling from India in the morning session. Their breakthrough came when Umesh Yadav delivered an excellent away-seamer, leading to Marnus Labuschagne's dismissal, caught in the cordon.

Despite this setback, Cameron Green and Alex Carey displayed determination in their resistance. Unfortunately, Green unintentionally played the ball onto his stumps while defending against Ravindra Jadeja's delivery. Mitchell Starc and Carey then accelerated the scoring rate, adding quick runs. Pat Cummins eventually declared the innings, granting Australia a substantial lead of 443 runs.

India began their chase strongly, with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma maintaining a rapid scoring rate of almost 6 runs per over in the first 7 overs before Tea. However, Gill's dismissal sparked controversy in the Test match. After his departure, Rohit and Cheteshwar Pujara started rebuilding the innings with a 51-run partnership for the second wicket. Unfortunately, both batsmen lost their wickets in unusual ways.

Despite these setbacks, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli provided stability to the innings. They played cautiously for nearly 20 overs, accumulating 71 runs and safely reaching the Stumps at the end of the day's play. This left India with a target of 280 runs to chase on the final day of the World Test Championship summit clash.