Ravindra Jadeja wicket Celebration: Twitter
Day 2 of the World Test Championship final (WTC) 2023 saw India make a short comeback into the game after Australia’s brilliance with the bat on opening day of the game. As Travis Head and Steve Smith continued to assert their dominance at the Oval, both batters were dismissed after playing brilliant knocks. Smith scored 121 runs, whereas Head amassed 163 runs to his name.
However, the partnership was broken, and the rest of Australia’s batting order was unable to contribute much. Wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey did pose some problems for the Rohit Sharma-led side. However, the 31-year-old was batting at 48 runs when he was sent packing by Ravindra Jadeja, and the play of the day was executed.
Batting in the 115th over of the first innings, it was on the fourth ball of the over when Carey brought out the reverse sweep. However, instead of turning sharply, the ball went straight and hit Carey’s pads. Originally not given out by the umpire, it was reviewed by India.
Following an excellent decision to go with DRS, Jadeja made an instant impact on day 2 as the umpire’s decision was overturned and Carey was sent back to the pavilion for 48 runs in 69 deliveries.
Australia notch up 469 runs in the first innings of the WTC final
Following a sensational performance with the bat, the Pat Cummins-led Australia notched up 469 runs on the board before they were bowled out by the Indian team. Steve Smith and Travis Head were the stars for the side in the first innings.
Both batters completed their centuries, with Head even crossing the 150-run mark. Furthermore, through valuable contributions by David Warner and Alex Carey, Australia managed to post a big total against India in the first innings.
Mohammed Siraj was the highest wicket taker for India in the first innings as the star pacer struck four times, taking the wickets of Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon. Furthermore, Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur took two wickets each with Jadeja striking once.