Proceedings haven’t gone according to the desired plan for fans who were expecting a nail-biting end to the fourth Test match of the ongoing Australia’s tour of India at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
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Australia’s justifiably cautious approach on the final day of the series has seen them scoring 155/2 in 58 overs across the first two sessions today. Barring opening batters Matthew Kuhnemann (6) and Travis Head (90), Indian bowlers haven’t been able to pick wickets or bowl according to their potential on a Day 5 pitch in spite of it not offering as much as it should’ve in the general run of things.
As a result, Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne (56*) and captain Steven Smith (0*) returned to the dressing room for the tea break with the team leading by 67 runs. Taking into consideration how a solitary session is remaining in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, it will require a miraculous collapse on the part of the visitors for the hosts to win the match.
Nevertheless, a draw won’t deny India from both winning the series 2-1 and retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth time in a row.
IND vs AUS overs left today Day 5
A normal uninterrupted day of Test cricket consists of 90 overs per day. Australia, who had batted for six overs in the evening session yesterday, had to bat for a maximum of 96 overs in this innings. Having already faced 64 overs before the tea interval, Australia have to face 32 more overs in the third session on Monday.
#TeamIndia have qualified for the ICC World Test Championship Final for the second time in a row.
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— BCCI (@BCCI) March 13, 2023
That being said, if Indian bowlers continue to not be able to pick wickets in a cluster after Tea, it wouldn’t be surprising if players opt to shake hands with an hour (or so) remaining in the match. Such a mutual decision is commonly seen when teams don’t find any possibility of an outright result in a Test match.
Meanwhile, New Zealand beating Sri Lanka by 2 wickets in the first of a two-match series in Christchurch has paved way for an Australia-India ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 final at The Oval in June.
