Aiden Markram likened to Jacques Kallis after century 'dwarfs' Australia's total in WTC final: ‘He had to unlearn his.…’
WTC 2025 Final, Australia vs South Africa: Aakash Chopra says Aiden Markram's technique reminds him a little bit about Jacques Kallis.
Aiden Markram led South Africa's comeback in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Lord's Cricket Ground. Set a daunting target of 282, the Proteas were in desperate need of a solid start. The right-handed batter registered a duck in the first innings as his stumps were rattled by Mitchell Starc. However, Markram proved why he is rated as one of the best batters in the modern day as he smashed a remarkable century in the second innings to help Proteas inch closer to a famous victory.
Former India opening batter Aakash Chopra lauded Markram's effort as he likened his technique to that of former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis.
With a ton in the second innings at Lord's, Markram became just the third batter to score a century in the WTC final after Steve Smith and Travis Head. Markram found support in skipper Temba Bavuma as the duo frustrated the Australian attack.
“He is the only South African batter to score a hundred in an ICC men’s final. He became the third centurion in WTC final history. He is the first to score a hundred in the fourth innings,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"Let me put my hand up. I had said that the decision to bowl first after winning the toss wasn’t a good one because there would be fourth-innings pressure. 282 runs are a lot, but he dwarfed that total. His technical foundation is excellent. He reminds us a little of Jacques Kallis,” he added.
'Markram came up with a positive mindset'
South Africa conceded a lead of 74 in the first innings, and the team was criticised for playing with a defensive mindset. The Proteas top-order just looked to stay in the middle, which made run scoring difficult. The Australia pace attack was all over them like a rash in the first innings.
However, in the second innings, the Proteas adopted a different mindset, looking to dispatch loose deliveries and rotate strike consistently.
Chopra said that scoring a century in the WTC final was not easy for Markram, as he was coming into the Test match having played in the IPL. Hence, changing habits this quickly isn't that easy for any batter, but Markram did the needful and is reaping the rewards.
“What would have been the difficulties for Aiden Markram? One, he was playing only T20 cricket for the last two months. So he had to unlearn his T20 habits and then focus on Test cricket. That’s a difficult job,” Chopra said.
“Secondly, he got out for zero in the first innings. That was also a problem. Wickets have fallen here with the new ball. If you look at the first three innings, wickets had fallen with the new ball in every inning. He ensured that he came with a positive mindset,” he added.
