[In Pictures] Shikhar Dhawan and Chris Gayle attend IND vs AUS WTC 2023 final at The Oval
The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final between India and Australia kicked off at The Oval in London on Wednesday, June 7. Fans turned up in big numbers to witness the opening day of the crucial tie.
Cricket stars Shikhar Dhawan and Chris Gayle were also spotted witnessing the game from the stands. The two were seen enjoying the all-important encounter featuring two star-studded teams.
This is the second-ever WTC final. The inaugural one was played between India and New Zealand in 2021, in which the latter emerged victorious. India have a chance of making amends by securing a win in the summit clash this time around.
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first in the WTC 2023 final. Indian were off to a brilliant start as Mohammed Siraj dismissed opener Usman Khawaja early. However, Australia displayed stunning batsmanship to power their way back into the contest.
Travis Head and Steve Smith stitch together an outstanding partnership in WTC 2023 final
Australian batters Travis Head and Steve Smith played wonderfully to put their team in a commanding position. Head played the role of the aggressor in the partnership, scoring runs at a brisk pace.
At the time of writing, Head is unbeaten at 96, while Smith is at 49. The two have stitched together a 149*-run stand for the fourth wicket. India are in desperate need of a breakthrough at this juncture.
Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur have picked up one wicket each so far. For Australia, David Warner chipped in with a valuable 43-run knock at the top of the order. Marnus Labuschagne contributed 26 runs before being cleaned up by a spectacular delivery by Shami in the 25th over.