SCORE: India (296 and 3-164) need 280 runs to beat Australia (469 and 8-270 declared) with seven second-innings wickets standing.
SUMMARY: Australia are still favourites to lift the ICC mace as world Test champions after grabbing three vital wickets on a compelling, sun-baked penultimate day in this superb final – but the great Virat Kohli is keeping Indian dreams flickering. Set a world-record 444 to win, India attacked with brio before Cameron Green’s latest amazing one-handed catch, hotly disputed around the ground by thousands of India fans, to bag the dangerous Shubman Gill earned the key breakthrough. Nathan Lyon halted Rohit Sharma (43) before Cheteshwar Pujara got out to an uncharacteristic uppercut tickle off Pat Cummins. But Kohli (44no), aided ably by another stubborn ex-captain Ajinkya Rahane (20no), was batting like a magician on a mission. Earlier, Alex Carey, with an unbeaten 66, and Mitchell Starc, with a brisk late 41, had done most to set up Cummins’ declaration which has left all results still possible in this beguiling advert for Test cricket.
PLAYER OF THE MOMENT: Lyon needed just five balls to tempt captain Rohit into an ill-advised sweep of one that pitched on middle and straightened a fraction. His Test wicket number 484 was a major intervention, with Rohit looking particularly threatening.
KEY MOMENT: Was it or wasn’t it? Indian fans, dominating at The Oval, reckoned the ball had scraped the ground when Green stretched out his giant left hand to scoop what appeared a breakthrough catch off Scott Boland. To most neutrals, though, it just looked like sheer brilliance – and the third umpire agreed.
STAT OF THE DAY: Zero. The number of times Alex Carey played the dreaded reverse sweep that had previously got him out on four occasions in 16 attempts this year against India. Finishing 66 not out suggested admirable restraint worked for the wicketkeeper-batter.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Rubbish shot yesterday, Steve.” – Virat Kohli’s cheery aside to Steve Smith, overheard by Justin Langer, to which Australia’s genius could only agree with India’s genius.