Bowlers put Australia in total control against India in World Test Championship final

Rohit Sharma's side finished day two at The Oval on 151-5, still trailing by 318 runs

Australia's Mitchell Starc, left, celebrates with teammate Australia's Cameron Green after taking the wicket of India's Virat Kohli caught by Australia's Steven Smith on the second day of the ICC World Test Championship Final between India and Australia at The Oval cricket ground in London, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth)Show less

India were scrapping to stay afloat in the World Test Championship final after a top-order collapse left Australia in the driving seat on day two of the World Test Championship final.

Australia were all out for 469 in their first innings, Steve Smith following in the footsteps of first-day centurion Travis Head to post 121, and then snapped up key wickets to establish a dominant position.

Each of their seam quartet struck as India lurched to 71 for four in the 19th over, before spinner Nathan Lyon joined the party and ended a battling fifth-wicket stand.

Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja doubled the score before the latter nicked Lyon to slip for 48. By stumps India were 318 behind on 151 for five, with plenty of work to do retain a realistic chance of succeeding New Zealand as red-ball world champions.

Australia arrived in the morning already boasting a healthy position on 327 for three. At that stage, they were surely hoping to clear 500, but India landed a few handy blows of their own as they took the last seven wickets for 108.

With 10 overs before lunch to work their magic, the Australian seamers made short work of the India openers. Captain Pat Cummins made the initial opening, thumping his opposite number Rohit Sharma halfway up the front pad with one that shaped in towards middle and off.

Scott Boland then joined the fray, seaming one in sharply and rearranging Shubman Gill’s stumps as he paid the price for a poorly-judged leave.

WTC final day two - in pictures

India's Virat Kohli, who scored 14 off 31 balls, walks off the pitch after being given out caught by Australia's Steve Smith off the bowling of Australia's Mitchell Starc on the second day of the World Test Championship final at The Oval on Thursday, June 8, 2023. AP

Australia's Mitchell Starc, left, celebrates with teammate Cameron Green after taking the wicket of India's Virat Kohli. AP

India's captain Rohit Sharma is out lbw for 15 runs off the bowling of Australia's Pat Cummings. AFP

India's Shubman Gill is bowled by Australia's Scott Boland for 13. AFP

Australia's Scott Boland, centre, celebrates with teammates after he clean bowled India's Shubman Gill. AP

India's Ajinkya Rahane made 29 off 71 deliveries. AFP

Australia's Nathan Lyon celebrates after taking the wicket of India's Ravindra Jadeja with teammates. Reuters

Nathan Lyon of Australia celebrates after dismissing India's Ravindra Jadeja. Getty

India's Ravindra Jadeja ducks to avoid a short ball from Australia's Cameron Green. Jadeja made 48 off 51 balls before he was caught by Steve Smith off the spin of Nathan Lyon. AFP

Travis Head of Australia raises his bat as he walks off the pitch after being dismissed for 163 runs by India's Mohammed Siraj. Getty

Mohammed Siraj of India celebrates taking the wicket of Travis Head of Australia. Getty

India's Mohammed Siraj, second right, celebrates after taking the wicket of Australia's Travis Head. AP

Ravindra Jadeja of India celebrates after taking the wicket of Alex Carey of Australia. Getty

Australia's Steve Smith celebrates reaching his century. PA

Australia's Nathan Lyon is clean bowled by Mohammed Siraj. PA

Australia's Alex Carey walks off the pitch after being given out lbw off the bowling of India's Ravindra Jadeja for 48. AP

India fans at The Oval. Getty

Boland filled his boots against England Down Under in 2021/22, taking a remarkable six for seven on debut at the MCG, and he made a compelling case for holding his spot at Edgbaston next week with 11 high-quality overs with the Dukes ball.

India survived a potential gut punch when star batter Virat Kohli came close to departing for a duck, withdrawing the bat only to see an inside edge spray off the toe and zip past his stumps, but their struggles continued after the break.

Cheteshwar Pujara belied his years of experience in English climes by repeating Gill’s error, shaping to leave all-rounder Cameron Green and paying the price with his off stump. Kohli’s exit left India in strife but he was at least guilty only of receiving a brutish delivery from Mitchell Starc.

The left-armer was expensive, shipping 52 from nine overs, but showed off his ability to deliver big moments when he got one to explode off a length at Kohli and rap the thumb of his bottom hand as it sprayed to slip.

India were in deep trouble but, with the Australians sensing blood, Rahane’s perseverance and Jadeja’s counter-attacking nature served them well. They put on 71 together, parted only when Lyon offered a change of pace. He forced Jadeja into an unusually defensive stroke and clipped the outside edge to break the stand.

Smith had earlier brought up his 31st Test century, his seventh in England and his third at The Oval. Resuming on 95, he dispatched his first two balls of the morning from Mohammed Siraj to the boundary to reach three figures with minimal fuss.

India made regular inroads to keep the game moving forwards, Head departing for a classy 163 as Siraj got him brushing to the keeper with a bumper aimed at the ribs and Smith ending a five-and-a-half hour stay with an uncharacteristically loose prod that cannoned into his stumps.

Pacer Boland, in his first Test match in England, said after the match: "We are in a really good position. At the start of the day we'd have definitely taken it.

"My first experience with a red ball here and felt it came out OK personally. Hopefully we can get into it tomorrow and knock them over.

"It is like two mini series for us – one against India and five against England after this. We have all hit the ground running. The preparation has been fantastic.

"Nothing changes in my game plan. I am trying to land the ball in a small box and not go away too far from that."