India will enter Day 5 of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final 2023 (WTC) with a big boost despite the fact that they are chasing a 444-run target. India need to score 280 runs while Australia require to take seven wickets, which seem realistic targets at the Oval going into the last day.
Australia declared their second innings on 270/8 to put a mammoth target for India. Rohit Sharma scored crucial 43 runs to give India a promising start but India stumbled to 93/3 from 92/1 to throw away a game. But Virat Kohli and first innings' savior Ajinkya Rahane produced an unbeaten 71-run stand for the fourth wicket to balance the game. Kohli is batting at 44* off 66 and Rahane has scored 20* off 59 as the duo has a stage set to produce their best game on Day 5.
Pitch Report - IND vs AUS, WTC Final, Day 5
The Oval pitch continues to produce a balanced surface in WTC Final 2023, turning it into one of the most thrilling Test matches. As expected, pacers managed to get wickets in the first session and then batters dominated the game on Day 4. The surface is likely to be drier on the last day and will slightly favor spin bowlers.
WTC Final Day 5, Weather Forecast, Rain and Thunderstorm
There was a strong weather forecast for rain on Day 4 but fans witnessed a sunny day throughout the game at The Oval. The weather forecast for Day 5 remains the same with a 52% chance of precipitation due to mild thunderstorms. The temperature is likely to increase on Sunday and will hover around 24-27 degrees Celsius.
The Kennington Oval, London- The Numbers Game
Basic Test Stats
- Total matches: 105
- Matches won batting first: 38
- Matches won bowling first: 29
Average Test Stats
- Average 1st Innings scores: 343
- Average 2nd Innings scores: 304
- Average 3rd Innings scores: 238
- Average 4th Innings scores: 156
Score Stats for Test matches
- Highest total recorded - 903/7 (335.2 Ov) by ENG vs AUS
- Lowest total recorded - 44/10 (26 Ov) by AUS vs ENG
Playing XIs
India Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Australia Squad: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
