India vs Australia, WTC Final Day 2 Highlights: IND end on 151/5 at Stumps, AUS firmly in control

Regardless of what happens from here, the fact remains that India have a mountain to climb here. Australia are 400/6 off 103 overs.

Of course it's Shardul Thakur who gets Steve Smith. Of course it's him. It has come out of nowhere, as it normally does with Shardul Thakur. Innocuous delivery outside off, Smith hangs out his bat, inside edge and on to the stumps. An error from Smith and that ends his knock.

Smith b Thakur 121 (268), Australia 387/6

Smith is on 120 off 263. A couple of big shouts for LBW off the last two balls of the 97th off Shami's bowling. India decided to not review both the calls from the umpire, although the first was quite close.

Shami creates that inward angle by going well wide of the crease, Green feels the drive is on but it wasn't. It was slashed hard though and so the ball darted to Gill at second slip at a considerable speed. Gill did well to hold on to it. India fighting back here. 

Green c Shubman Gill b Mohammed Shami 6 (7), Australia 376/5 in 94.2 overs

Siraj with some fire and stares for Smith, the Aussie replies with a couple of fours either side of the field.

Smith on 111 off 253 balls while Cameron Green is at the other end on 6 off 5. Green had started off with a four off the very first ball he faced while Smith seems to have got into that bubble of his. Once he is in there, it is pretty much impossible for any team in the world to get him out.

Short ball plan comes off at last for India. India have kept it full and short throughout the morning and while they conceded a clump of boundaries, they have got one of the two big wickets. First ball of the 92nd from Siraj directed and Head's hips, the batter tries to whip it fine, the ball brushes the gloves and goes to the wicketkeeper. That partnership ends on 285 off 408 balls.

Head c Bharat b Mohammed Siraj 163 (174), Australia 361/4 in 91.1 overs

Half volley outside off from Shami to Smith to finish the over. Smith is never going to miss out on those, drives it between extra-cover and mid-off for another four. He moves to 110 opff 247, Head on 163 off 173. v

Head hit the fifth ball of the 90th bowled by Siraj for a four but then came a sliver of a chance for India. Head miscued a pull but it landed right in between the fielders at midwicket and deep square leg.

A fraction short outside off from Shami for the third ball of the 89th, Head cuts it away to get past to his fourth Test 150.

The broadcasters show a stat which indicated that of all the deliveries bowled thus far in this Test, just 9% were aimed at the stumps. Well that is a disturbing stat, as highlighted by Matthew Hayden. "That for me has to be somewhere near 30%" he says. Australia 339/3 in 88 overs. Smith on 104 (239), Head on 148 (162).

An eventful over to start the day and Siraj came back quite well towards the end of that. He made the fourth delivery nip in from good length and then appealed for LBW. Umpire shook his head and India didn't go upstairs as Smith may have got some bat on it. Siraj then beat Smith's outside edge off the last ball.

Smith backs away as Siraj came in to bowl the fourth and the pacer lets him know that he is not happy with that. Smith seems to be pointing to the spider cam to show Siraj what distracted him. He was well within his rights to do that, this is pure frustration from Siraj. India can't afford to lose their heads this early in the day.

Another kind-hearted half volley on leg from Siraj, the very next delivery. Smith clips it away nicely and takes off his helmet. 31st Test century and he has not even got to his 100th Test. An extraordinary feat, helped a bit by some inexplicably poor bowling from Siraj. Rohit gives him an earful for that one.

A nice juicy half volley is what Smith faces first up on Day 2. Not the best from Siraj. Smith one run away now.

Right, enough talk, out come Travis Head and Steve Smith. India go into a short huddle before walking out themselves. It is a bright sunny day at the Oval, Mohammed Siraj is bowling the first over of the day and Head will be on strike. He is four short of 150, Smith is five short of his 31st Test ton.

Another lovely day, light winds and it is nice and warm by English standards. This time yesterday, there were cloudy skies but today is bright. Yesterday, the pitch played tough in the first session with the sideways movement and some uneven bounce. You could be led astray seeing the grass cover, but this is how an Oval pitch generally is. When the ball has been hitting the bare patches, it is causing uneven bounce. The pitch is very dry underneath the grass, but the taller Australian ballers will cause the pitch to degrade quite a bit. We both expect the ball to be spinning by day 3 and 4, reckon Nasser Hussain and Kumar Sangakkara

"Not just to contain but also to take wickets. If he bowls over the wicket to the left hander, try and get Travis Head driving. There are footmarks, the odd ball landing over there can turn. Even to the right handed Smith, he should bowl over the wicket, try and get the ball in the rough. Get him to drive at the start of the innings. We saw Marnus Labuschagne earlier, since he has been playing in England recently he knows it is important to keep the bat close to the body here. That is what the Indians should try to do, get the ball to go into the batter and create that gap"

Ricky Ponting had observed in the commentary box observed how three of India's pacers - Shami, Siraj and Thakur were all bending their front legs towards the end of Day 1. It is not something that Siraj and Shami do usually and it indicated nothing apart from just how tired they were by that point in the day. How India would hope to avoid a situation like that today.

“Losing the toss this morning, we've done an exceptionally good job day one. Lot of hard work to do in the morning, but nice to come off with a really good start. I had a wonderful time, this time in '19, we played a million warm-up games and A series. This time completely different. We know the process well and train and have the backing. (Key to success) Making sure I am in really good position, I felt like today I was for most of my innings. I was tested, there were moments I thought they were going to come with plans. Trying to be adjustable on the job, work through and negate those periods and stay relaxed at the same time. It's nice when you have got a bloke at the other end playing as well as he is. I always love batting with Steve, I always feel I go under the radar because there are so many plans bowling to him. You say second fiddle, but I feel like I am doing that to him. (On the pitch) As it gets quicker, you may see more nicks. It was a touch slow, it was challenging with both new balls.”

India did not have to wait too long to get a breakthrough on the first day. In-form opener Usman Khawaja was sent back for a duck by Mohammed Siraj in the fourth over. David Warner, who was looking quite dangerous, then held fort with Marnus Labuschagne for nearly 20 overs after that before falling after scoring 43 in 60 to Shardul Thakur. That wicket came in part due to a sensational catch behind the wickets by KS Bharat. Labuschagne fell to Shami in just the second over of the second session on 26 and Australia were 76/3. From there, it was all Head and Smith and Australia ended the day on 327/3.

It is one that has reaped rich dividends for Australia this WTC cycle. One is a batter who has hit the sweetest of purple patches, the other is an all-time great who permanently lives in a patch of that colour. Smith and Head have had eight partnerships in this cycle in which they have scored 695 at a blinding average of 99.28. They have had three century stands and one half century stand, with a highest of 251 not out. That score was achieved yesterdat and Unfortunately for India, it did look they are going to pile on many more the way they were batting towards the end of the Day 1. Fortunately for India, 't is a new day!

First and foremost, be more consistent and try to bowl six balls in one area, according to the field. Secondly, Head looked really uncomfortable when the short ball was aimed at his body. India took a whole lot of time to use those tactics and when they finally did, Siraj and Shami were tired. They can try that early on Day 2. 

With his blistering knock, Travis Head has moved ahead of Rishabh Pant for highest strike rate in this WTC cycle (2021-23). Head currently has a strike rate of 81.91; Pant had finished with 80.81.

While Head admitted that it was an “exceptionally good job” from the batting front, the pitch can induce more nicks off the bat. 

“As it gets quicker, you may see more nicks. It was a touch slow, it was challenging with both new balls,” Head had said in the interview following Day 1.