Frustration in the Indian camp grew on Day of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final as Australia took command of the game and negated the threat posed by Rohit Sharma's men. As the partnership between Steve Smith and Travis Head grew, the heads of Indian players on the field started to drop, including that of captain Rohit. In one of the videos that went viral on social media, the Indian captain was heard using an abusive word before venting frustration at teammate Cheteshwar Pujara.
Watch the video here:
The WTC final got underway on June 7 (Wednesday) and Team India was pushed on the back foot by the mighty Australian batting attack on just the opening day of the Test match at The Oval, London. Travis Head took a leaf out of 'Bazball' and stroked a counter-attacking century while the 'best Test batter of this generation' Steve Smith rose to the challenge in a crunch ICC knockout game just like he had done several times before.
Head's unbeaten 146-run knock coupled with Smith's 95 not out propelled the Baggy Greens' total to an imposing 327/3 at the stumps on Day 1.
The lack of discipline from Indian bowlers was the main reason behind Australia taking command on the opening day of the Test match. After Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj started the proceedings by continuously probing the Aussie batters, the change of bowlers shifted the momentum of the game as Umesh Yadav leaked plenty of runs.
After reducing Australia to 76/3, India failed to capitalise on the momentum and allowed the Aussie duo of Smith and Head to chip away at runs with relative ease. Once the dup was set, it didn't matter who came to bowl for India as boundaries started to flow. While Indian bowlers failed to pick wickets, they also struggled to stem the flow of runs that ultimately proved to be a double whammy for Rohit's men.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
'Can India bounce back?' Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey underlines how India can make a comeback in WTC final after forgettable Day 1
WTC Final: Travis Head, Steve Smith make Rohit Sharma's India pay for selection blunder as Australia dominate Day 1
