Mohammed Siraj (R) unsuccessfully appeals to Steve Smith’s wicket on day 2 of the WTC final.©AFP
Australia defeated India by 209 runs in the World Test Championship final to claim their first title last week. The game was dominated by the Pat Cummins-led side and India barely experienced any moments of joy. Australia ended Day 1 with a score of 327 for 3, putting the team well ahead in the game. India made a good comeback the next day, but it was certainly late for them as the batting side still managed to put 469 runs on the board.
Former India captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly believes the Rohit Sharma-led side had no intention of bowling on the opening day of the top clash.
“Mohammad Siraj threw a ball to Steve Smith in the first session of Day 2 in the WTC Final and then bowling in India became different from both sides. There was no such intention (on Day 1),” Ganguly told Sports Tak.
On the first pitch of the 94th over of the Australian innings on Day 2, Smith defended the ball back to pacer Siraj, who showed some aggression and threw the ball to the batter. After the incident, Australia scored 101 runs and lost their last six wickets.
Talking further about the match, Australia tied India for 296 runs to take a 173-run lead in the first innings. The side then declared their second innings at 270 for 8, setting a target of 444 runs for India.
The previous season’s finalists finished Day 4 at 164 for 3, but on the final day, the batsman collapsed and India was eliminated for 234 runs.
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