‘India looked tired in the final session’ - Sunil Gavaskar opines on India's subpar showing on Day 1 of WTC final

The opening day of the World Test Championship final (WTC) 2023 saw India and Australia take each other on at The Oval in London. Opting to bowl first, India got off to a brilliant start as Usman Khawaja was sent packing for a duck.

Furthermore, Marnus Labuschagne and David Warner did look to be in good rhythm, but both batters also failed to make much of an impact on the game. Mohammed Shami dismissed Labuschagne for just 26 runs, whereas Warner managed to score 43 runs before he under-edged the ball right into wicketkeeper KS Bharat’s gloves.

However, after losing three wickets for just 76 runs, the Aussies made a resilient comeback in the game as veteran batter Steve Smith and Travis Head played brilliant knocks. At stumps, both batters stood at the crease unbeaten, as Smith had amassed 95* runs in 227 balls and Head had scored 146* runs in 156 deliveries.

At the end of Day 1, Australia comfortably sat at 327 runs with the loss of three wickets. Umesh Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj failed to make a lasting impact despite getting some early breakthroughs. 

Seeing the Indian team’s performance with the ball, former Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar came to the front to give his take on the side’s showing. Gavaskar opined that by the end of the final session, the Indian team looked tired and really dispirited. 

"India looked tired in the final session. They looked dispirited. With Travis Head on 146 and Steve Smith on 95, they are looking at 550-600," Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.

As Day 2 of the WTC final approaches, India will be keen on getting some early breakthroughs and making their much-anticipated comeback into the game. It could be crucial that the partnership between Head and Smith is broken early in the day, or Australia could be plummeting towards a huge total in the first innings.