"Indian batting lineup starts from 5-6 nowadays"- Top 10 funny memes from 3rd day of WTC 2023 final as Australia reaches a strong position vs India
Australia put themselves in a great position after three days of play in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against India at the Oval. At stumps on day 3, Australia are at 123/4 in their second innings and extended their lead to 296 runs.
Team India commenced the day with an overnight score of 151/5. Scott Boland cleaned up Srikar Bharat off the second ball to give Australia an early breakthrough. Shardul Thakur walked into the crease next, with his side in a dire situation as they were trailing by more than 300 runs.
Pat Cummins and Co. bowled at full tilt and constantly troubled Thakur and Ajinkya Rahane. The duo coped with multiple blows to their bodies and also received a couple of lucky reprieves. They displayed nerves of steel in a pressure situation and fought through with grit and determination, stitching a magnificent 109-run partnership for the seventh wicket.
Rahane and Thakur ensured that Team India went past the follow-on score and reached near the 300-run mark. Pat Cummins dismissed Ajinkya Rahane right after lunch, 11 runs short of a well-deserved century on the comeback.
Shardul Thakur went on to score his third consecutive half-century at the venue in as many innings. He perished soon after, trying to go big against Cameron Green. Aussie pacers then wrapped up the innings quickly by restricting India to 296.
Mohammed Siraj sent David Warner (1) back to the pavilion early in the fourth over to give a good start to the subcontinental side. Umesh Yadav scalped Usman Khawaja's wicket after a while to reduce Australia to 24/2.
Steve Smith (34) and Travis Head (18) then played aggressively and injected some momentum into their innings. Ravindra Jadeja dismissed both of them to bring India back into the contest at the fag end of the day. Marnus Labuschagne (41*) and Cameron Green (7*) remained unbeaten for the Kangaroo team at stumps on the third day.
Fans enjoyed the cricketing action on Day 3 of the WTC 2023 final. They expressed their views by sharing hilarious memes on Instagram and Twitter.
Here are some of the best reactions:
https://t.co/93iSGJlnWq
Scenes from WTC final.
#INDvAUS | #AjinkyaRahane https://t.co/1w8EF49tnt
When reporter asked Sir Don Bradman who can break his records , he smiled and said Lord shardul Thakur . https://t.co/yg3XgX8vIZ
"Really happy with the way I batted today": Ajinkya Rahane after his 89-run knock on Day 3
Speaking after stumps on Day 2, veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane shed light on his timely 89-run knock on the third day and expressed satisfaction. He revealed that his partnerships with Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja were vital in the context of the innings. Rahane said:
"Really happy with the way I batted today. We had a really good day today, first with the bat. The partnership between Jadeja and I and then Shardul and myself was very crucial. We were looking to get to 320-330 but overall we had a good day. Bowling wise we bowled really well. It was a great effort from our bowlers."
He added:
"Frankly speaking Australia is slightly ahead of the game. For us what's important is to think moment by moment and take it session by session. The first hour will be crucial tomorrow and if we take some wickets anything can happen."