WTC Final Highlights Day 2, IND vs AUS: India Reach 151/5 On Stumps, Rahane-Bharat Remain Unbeaten

Australia is taking control of the match as India lost its third wicket after Cameron Green took the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara at 14 runs. India is trailing by 414 runs with Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane at the crease.

After a tussle of 121 overs and 3 balls, India have finally bowled out Australia for 469. The pair of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma will be out in next 10 minutes.

Australia are in a position of total advantage. The runs are flowing with boundaries along the ground. The pitch is offering almost nothing to the bowlers.

Indian pacers brought them back into the game with four wickets in the session. Shami, Siraj and Shardul bagged one wicket each to get rid of Travis Head (163), Steve Smith (121), Cameron Green (6) and Mitchell Starc (5) in quick succession.  

Australia 422/7 in 109 overs at lunch.

The partnership brewing up between Carey and Cummins to extend Australia's total further as they eye big first innings total in the summit clash. India pacers are on task to remove tailenders early.

Mitchell Starc falls short of his crease as substitute fielder Axar Patel gets a direct hit on the stumps to give India another wicket in the session. Indian players are giving their all on the field today after getting regular wickets.

Australia 406/7 after 105 overs. 

Shardul gets the much-awaited scalp of Steve Smith to leave Australia six-wicket down in the opening session. Smith gets the inside edge of the bat and the ball goes into the stumps. India have made full utilisation of the new ball in the opening session.

Australia 387/6 after 99 overs.

Shami brought two consecutive balls into the stumps in front of Alex Carey's pads but on both occasions, the on-field umpire denied to entertain India's appeal. Rohit Sharma didn't bother to take the DRS as the ball was going down the leg side.  

Shami strikes with the new ball as Cameron Green gets the edge of the bat to hand a regulation catch to Shubman Gill at second slip. India get another wicket in the opening session.

Australia 376/5 after 95 overs.

Despite losing Head, Australia are getting runs at ease from both ends as Smith and Green are getting regular boundaries. Smith hit Siraj for back-to-back fours in the last over. 

Australia 376/4 after 94 overs.  ,

Finally, India get a wicket as Head edges a short ball to KS Bharat behind the wicket. Siraj scalps his second wicket of the innings.

Australia 367/4 after 92 overs

A perfect short ball from Siraj left Head in no of his shot. It was in the air for quite a moment but the ball lands safely and well away from the fielder. 

Another milestone for Australia as Travis Head raises his bat for smashing 150 in just 164 balls.

Mohammed Siraj bowls a tight over but still no signs of a wicket for India.

Australia 339/3 after 88 overs

It took only three balls for Steve Smith on Day 2 to reach yet another test century, the 31st of his test career as Australia kicks off Day 2 in style.

Australia 336/3 after 85.3 overs

“If India need to come back in the game, make no mistake, there's only chance is if they pick 3 early wickets in the first session. If they don't do that, we will be way behind. Immediately, we will start looking at draw as a win. Australia have a long batting lineup, if you don't get them before 400-420, it's going to be a real hard work,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.

Former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting and Sanjay Manjrekar have slammed India for not picking experienced spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the summit clash against Australia. Pat Cummins-led side has many left-handed batters in their playing 11 against whom Ashwin would have been critical on a green wicket.

"We don't talk too much. I've always said that I do really enjoy batting with Steve because of how much attention he receives. He is one of the best players in the world, one of our best, probably our best player. He's our best batter and unbelievable in these conditions and he receives so much attention from the opposition in terms of plans and how difficult it is to bowl to. I’ve always felt like and I've always said going out to bat with him it feels like you're in the shadow of that and you can sort of sneak under the radar and go about your business because he's drawn so much attention and it felt like that again today, it felt like he wasn't going to go anywhere." 

After a frustrating opening day, Indian bowlers will be looking for early breakthroughs with the new ball still in hand in order to restrict Australia as soon as possible, maybe in the first one-and-a-half session to remain alive in the match. They will be hoping for the conditions to remain the same when they come out to bat in the first innings.

“It's always a very difficult decision to drop a champion bowler (R Ashwin) like that. But I thought looking at the conditions in the morning, having the additional seamer would definitely be beneficial. It also has worked in the past. If you look at the earlier games that we played, the last Test match, we went in with four seamers who did really well. When team discussion happens, we talk about composition over a period of days. We trained here for three-four days before the game and seeing the wicket, conversations happen with players. The players also understand that (the importance of team combination)." 

The weather at The Oval on Day 2 is expected to remain similar to the opening day with a bit overcast in the morning and heavily bright and sunny conditions as the day will progress towards the afternoon and evening session.

A day of jubiliation for Australia while a day of frustration for Team India comes to an end. Both Travis Head and Steve Smith remain unbeaten on 146 and 95 respectively as Australia finish on 327/3 after 85 overs on STUMPS.

The only silver lining for India today has been the resilience of KS Bharat. He has been exceptional behind the stumps. 9 runs off the over. 

New ball taken. Mohammed Shami into the attack. Steve Smith is just blocking them like a firewall. His bat is guarding his pads so efficiently. Maiden over.

200-run partnership is up between Travis Head ad Steve Smith. This day has completely belonged to Australia. India, on the other hand, have been completely battered. 7 overs left for the new ball. 

The ball is doing just a bit and it will not bother the already set partnership between Travis Head and Steve Smith. It has been a field day for India. Looks bleak for them for now. Steve Smith is picking up his strike rate now.  

Travis Head gets to a well deserved hundred. What a performance from the middle order batter who has properly established himself. He gets to it in 106 balls.

The session run-rate is around 5.29 at the moment. A testimony of how well both Smith and Head have gone about their business. Smith is just 1 run away from a fighting fifty.

Umesh Yadav comes over the wicket for Travis Head who is batting at 80 at a strike rate of around 90. FOUR!!! Umesh Yadav bowled a short one and got punished. Australia one short of 200 now.

Travis Head is playing on a different pitch altogether taking the game away from India. Steve Smith, on the other hand, is just leaving the deliveries outside the off stump. 

Hello and welcome to the final session of Day 1 of the World Test Championship final between India and Australia here at the Oval Cricket Ground. Umesh Yadav in the attack.

Post lunch session finishes as Australia dominate it completely as they score 97 runs at a healthy run-rate of nearly 3.7. India got a breakthrough early in the session, however, Head and Smith stood their ends in the session. AUS 170/3 (51)

Half century for Travis Head. Australia are scoring runs at a good pace to keep India under pressure. A breakthrough is a necessity now and it should come as soon as possible. Ravindra Jadeja to continue from the other end.

Travis Head has been a delight for Australian fans for some time. Steve Smith is currently prodding along with his innings. That is what great players do in test cricket. 

50-run stand comes up for both Steve Smith and Travis Head. Shardul Thakur is struggling with a no-ball issue here. Another appeal for LBW! Umpire denies.

This is a healthy partnership between Steve Smith and Travis Head. Drinks are on the field as the stand is just one short of a half century.  

Shardul Thakur has created some chances against Steve Smith, however, no success so far. Mohammed Siraj continues from the other hand. 

Lets spare a thought for KS Bharat, who has been incredible with the gloves. Simply incredible. Shardul Thakur is brought back into the attack. Gives away 3 runs off the over.

FOUR!!! to start the over as Travis Head looks in a hurry to leave a mark in the final. India ought to be careful as he will continue to play like that.

Shami Strikes #WTC2023 #WTCFinal #shami #india pic.twitter.com/38dhxeIuQf, — CricketTweet (@CricketBoy_here) June 7, 2023

Mohammed Shami looks in excellent rhythm at the moment. FOUR!  Travis Head gets off the mark with a boundary. He will score quickly for Australia. No doubt about that.

A good over for Mohammed Siraj to begin the proceedings. OUT! JAFFA!!! from Mohammed Shami. Marnus Labuschagne departs after a steady start. Cheers of India! India! begin again.

Hello and welcome to the live cricket coverage of the post lunch session of the World Test Championship final between India and Australia here at the Oval Cricket Ground in London. 

Shardul Thakur does the trick for India as gets the much-anticipated wicket of David Warner in the 22nd over. Steve Smith arrives in the middle just before the lunch on first day of play. 

Australia 73/2 in 23 overs at lunch. 

Marnus gets another life after Rohit decided to challenge the on-field decision and the ball looked to be missing the stumps in the ball tracking. India's review is gone.

Australia 60/1 after 18 overs

Rohit Sharma decided to take the review after an lbw shout against Marnus who managed to survive after it turned as umpire's call.

Australia 54/1 after 16 overs

David Warner looks on song as he smashed Umesh Yadav for four boundaries in his second over.

Australia 54/1 after 15 overs

First bowling change from India after the drinks break as Umesh Yadav comes in to bowl the 13th over of the match. Warner finds no difficulty in playing the pacer after setting his eyes on the ball.

Australia 34/1 after 13 overs. 

The second-wicket partnership between Warner and Labuschagne has kept Australia solid in the opening session so far. Warner is looking confident after spending some time at the crease. Labuschagne is also tackling Shami and Siraj well despite suffering a blow on his thumb on the latter's ball. 

Australia 29/1 after 12 overs. (Drinks break)

A 143 kmph in-swinging delivery from Siraj leaves Marnus Labuschagne surprised as the batter receives a blow on his left thumb. Australia physio is in the middle to check on Labuschagne. All seems good and he is back on his stance.   

Australia 21/1 after 7.3 overs.

Siraj gets his man on his second over of the spell as he picked Usman Khawaja on a duck. A thick edge from the opener's bat straight into the gloves of KS Bharat. Marnus Labuschagne joins Warner in the middle.

Australia 4/1 after four overs.

Both-way movement for Indian seamers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in the opening overs of the Test match. Shami kept the ball outside off for David Warner while Siraj made the inward movement against Usman Khawaja.

"We would have bowled as well. Hopefully day four and five, there's a bit of spin. You think it suits his (Boland) bowling, he'll be a key weapon. We've been here for about 10 days. Pretty fresh, weather has been nice, we haven't missed a session, feeling good," Cummins said at the toss.

"We are going to bowl. The conditions and also the weather being overcast. The pitch won't change too much. Four seamers and one spinner. The spinner is Jadeja. It's always tough (to leave Ashwin), he's been a match-winner. He (Rahane) brings a lot of experience, he's played 80-odd Tests."

Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.

India skipper Rohit Sharma has won the toss and elected to bowl first in the summit clash at The Oval. 

Most Runs: Joe Root (1915 runs)
Most Wickets: Nathan Lyon (83 wickets)
Highest Individual Score: Tom Latham (252 runs)
Most Centuries: Joe Root (8 centuries)
Best Bowling Figure: Axar Patel (14 combined wickets vs NZ)

“India and Australia have had some epic encounters in the past, and they are two tough sides who will give everything to lift the mace. This is The Ultimate Test, and it will take not only talent and flair but a lot of grit and determination to come out on top. India have been in the final before and this is a chance for them to go one better."

“I think missing the first one, this second one feels like it's a bit more significant. Again I think it's the only trophy that Australian cricket hasn't won. All these things at the time feel special, but maybe in 10 years' time when you look back at career achievements, these are the ones that really stand out. I just had a meeting there where they said it's probably going to be the most watched Test match ever played. So hopefully this event is a real event that's here to stay,” Cummins said at The Oval on Tuesday.

"No, actually the way he is batting at the moment, I don't think he needs any advice. It's just about his preparation, how he's prepared in the last five or six days since he's come back from the IPL [...] Gill is somebody who likes to bat, likes to spend a lot of time in the middle. I know even though it was the T20 format, you saw he got big hundreds [in the IPL]. He likes to be out there in the middle and face that challenge. That is what he likes and that is what I will also hope [he does in the WTC final]. And team India will also hope that he spends a lot of time in the middle and plays well like he's been doing in the last six or eight months. So to be honest, not really too much to tell him. It's just about giving him that confidence because he's a very confident player," said Rohit Sharma on Shubman Gill.

Australia:  David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Marcus Harris

India:  Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat(w), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat

"Yeah, see, I've not said that Ashwin is not going to play. We'll wait until tomorrow - because one thing I have seen here - the pitch actually changes quite a bit from day to day. Today it's looking the way it is. Tomorrow it might be slightly different, who knows? So the message to the boys has been very clear, all 15 must be ready to play at any point in time. And we'll see the conditions tomorrow as well and make that decision as to who gets into that playing 11."

For any team to emerge victorious, it is important that the game is not washed out by the rain.  Check the weather updates for the WTC final Day 1 here.

Australia topped the 2021-23 cycle standings going into the WTC final while India beat Australia 2-1 in the test series at home earlier this year to book their spot for the summit clash.

Amid preparations for the WTC final at Kennington Oval in London, Indian team celebrated Ajinkya Rahane's 35th birthday in style.

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Happy birthday, @ajinkyarahane88 That will take some cleaning #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/MgEMLzdiBr, — BCCI (@BCCI) June 6, 2023

India lost to New Zealand by eight wickets at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in the final of the inaugural edition of World Test Championship in 2021.

2014: lost to SL in World T20 final
2015: lost to AUS in ODI WC semifinal
2016: lost to WI in World T20 semifinal
2017: lost to PAK in Champions Trophy
2019: lost to NZ in ODI WC semifinal
2021: lost to NZ in WTC final
2022: lost to ENG in World T20 semifinal

Indian skipper was hit on thumb while training on Tuesday after which he avoided to conclude the session. The injury was not that serious and he will be leading the side on Wednesday.

Rohit Sharma will be playing his 50th test in the WTC final against Australia having scored 3,379 runs at an average of 45.66 with 9 hundreds and 14 fifties so far in the longer format.

1. A century will bring his tally to 29, drawing him with Don Bradman

2. 21 runs to reach to 2000 test runs against Australia

3. 170 runs behind Virender Sehwag's test record

Australia have added Andy Flower to their support staff ahead of the massive clash against India in the WTC final at the Oval.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) have prepared two pitches for World Test Championship Final between India and Australia following a threat from oil protesters who threatened to vandalize the pitch and ground during the match.

Both India and Australia will look to lift the only ICC trophy missing from their cabinet, having already won ODI World Cup, World T20 and Champions Trophy.

Hello and Welcome to our live blog of the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2021-23 between India and Australia from the Kennington Oval in London. Stay tuned for all the live updates from the match.