Watch: Jadeja leaves Green clueless in WTC final, ball turns viciously to ram into the stumps
Jadeja landed one in the rough. It spun and bounced enough to bypass Green’s pad and knock into his glove. From there, the ball ricocheted onto the stumps.
Early wickets were the need of the hour for India heading into the morning of the fourth day of the World Test Championship final at The Oval. Marnus Labuschagne fell to Umesh Yadav in typical Test match fashion, nicking off to first slip to a delivery that shaped away after pitching. The in-coming delivery that pinned Labuschagne in the previous ball also may have played a part in his jittery footwork However, the second wicket of the day was not something that you get often.
Tall all-rounder Cameron Green's watchful innings was cut short by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja had been bowling around the wicket to the right-hander, but a change of tactics saw him go over the wicket and target the rough patch outside Green’s leg stump.
Green kicked a couple of deliveries away nonchalantly, but Jadeja succeeded in landing one in the rough, allowing it to spin and bounce enough to bypass Green’s pad and knock into his glove. From there, the ball ricocheted on to hit the stumps.
VIDEO: Ravindra Jadeja cleans up Cameron Green in India vs Australia WTC final
It was certainly one of the stranger dismissals of the Test match so far and gifted Jadeja his third wicket of the innings. Green was dismissed for a slow-paced 25(95) but he had done his job as the Australian lead grew in excess of 350.
Earlier in the day, Green had dealt with the Indian pacers with great composure, displaying a solid front-foot defence and a good awareness of his off-stump. He was hit on the body by deliveries which found extra bounce but otherwise showed great skill in coping with Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Umesh Yadav. He was given great support by Alex Carey on the other end, who again added quick runs to add to Australia’s lead. They reach 201 for 6 at the end of the first session on Saturday.
Australia already lead by 374 runs at Lunch on Day 4 and will be confident of their ability to add runs quickly with three wickets still in hand, before having between 4-5 sessions to bowl out the Indian lineup. The highest successful run-chase at The Oval stands at a meagre 263, which was achieved by England in 1902.