Virat Kohli leads India's fightback in WTC final vs Australia

Virat Kohli's exceptional performance against Australia has given India hope of an extraordinary victory in the World Test Championship final at The Oval. 

Despite still needing 280 runs to reach a record-breaking total of 444, Kohli remained unbeaten on 44 at stumps, while Rahane was on 20. Winning this match would surpass India's previous victories against Australia, but the task ahead is daunting, considering only four teams in Test cricket history have successfully chased more than 400 runs in the fourth innings.

Meanwhile, Australia needs just seven more wickets to secure their first major men's trophy and head into the upcoming Ashes opener against England with high spirits. The chase began with Rohit Sharma's impressive boundaries, but controversy arose when Shubman Gill fell to a disputed catch by Cameron Green. The decision created an uproar among the Indian fans, but Green insisted that he caught it cleanly.

Rohit and Cheteshwar Pujara continued to attack the Australian bowlers, aiming to improve on their loss in the previous WTC final. However, Rohit's dismissal came from a sweep shot against Nathan Lyon, while Pujara's attempt at an upper-cut led to an easy catch by Alex Carey. Nevertheless, Kohli regained control by scoring boundaries, receiving loud cheers from his dedicated fans.

In their second innings, Australia scored 270-8 before declaring. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets, including the dismissal of Green. Carey played a crucial role, scoring an unbeaten 66, and contributed to a valuable 93-run partnership with Starc.

As the match heads into its final day, India faces a significant challenge, needing an extraordinary run chase to claim their first ICC trophy in a decade. Despite the odds stacked against them, the belief and fighting spirit of the Indian team remain strong. 

The conclusion of the World Test Championship final promises an intense and exciting battle between the two teams.

AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wkt), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

INDIA: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Chesteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat (wkt), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj