Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur expressed confidence that even a challenging target of 450 runs can be successfully chased in the final of the World Test Championship. At the conclusion of Day 3 in the WTC final at the Kennington Oval, Australia were leading India by 296 runs. Speaking at the press conference, Shardul stressed on the possibility of winning through strong partnerships. In the first innings of the WTC final, Shardul contributed a half-century to help India post a total of 296 runs.
A fine knock from Alex Carey _
follow the #WTC23 Last _ pic.twitter.com/rBq3yTdD26– ICC (@ICC) June 10, 2023
“Cricket is a strange game. You can never say what is the right total and in this one-off game, especially in an ICC final, you never know who can handle the pressure better. A good partnership With, you can also chase the target.” Down 450 or so,’ Shardul said confidently.
He further drew attention to the fact that England chased down a target of close to 400 against India in their only Test in Birmingham last year. England successfully chased down a target of 378, resulting in a 2–2 series draw against India in June 2022.
“Last year, England chased 400 here and they didn’t lose too many wickets. So, it’s a positive sign for us. It’s too early to make any predictions about what they will put on the board. I see it many times.” The game of cricket changes within an hour. So, yes, we like to be optimistic when we step on the field. And yes, we will take it from there,” added Shardul optimistically.
Reflecting on his partnership with Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul mentioned that his focus was on absorbing pressure and maintaining constant communication during his crucial 109-run stand for the seventh wicket on the third day.
Shardul said, “We did not decide anything. There was no situation to decide anything. We just had to face the pressure. We were talking a lot among ourselves.”
Meanwhile, Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc revealed that he intends to continue batting on Day 4, expressing hope that the pitch will start showing more movement during the fourth innings. Australia scored a total of 469 runs in their first innings and ended the third day at 123 for 4.
“I haven’t spoken to Pete (Pat Cummins) yet, so I don’t know. It is not my decision. I will continue to bat now. I still have two days to play. The weather has been good. I Looks like it’s going to be hot tomorrow. Hopefully, the pitch starts playing some more tricks. As far as I know, we’re still batting tomorrow,” commented Starc.
India will be keenly searching for their first ICC trophy in almost a decade as they look to defeat Australia in the WTC final in London.











