IND vs AUS WTC Final, Day 1: Australia dominates with 327-3

Posted at: June 08, 2023

IND vs AUS WTC Final, Day 1: The first day of the WTC 2023 Final was no less than a nightmare for the Indian team as they failed to dismantle Australia’s batting order & the opponents went on to post a mammoth 327-3 total on board. The match began with India winning the toss & opting to bowl first. After winning the toss & bowling first India choose to include a fourth pacer Umesh Yadav in the squad & left behind R Ashwin from the Playing XI.

Batting first, Australia lost their go-to-man Usman Khawaja with Mohammed Siraj dismissing him in the fourth over. However, after that Warner & Khawaja resurrected Australia’s innings by scoring and stitching a rewarding 69-run stand. But soon Australia got another breakthrough with Shardul Thakur dismissing Warner on the verge of lunch break. He was sent packing after scoring 43 runs off 60 balls with Australia’s scoreboard reading 71-2. Soon after the break Smith & Labuschagne resumed Australia’s innings but the Indian bowlers didn’t let them build another blooming stand. Shami struck to remove Labuschagne reducing Australia’s scoreboard to 76-3 in 25 overs.

Travis-Smith 251 run stand did the trick for Australia

At this moment it looked like the fixture turned in India’s favor but then happened the unexpected with Travis Head & Steven Smith stitching a rewarding 251-run stand. The duo went all blazing guns & ensured there is no further loss of wickets. Travis Head was taking Indian bowlers to cleaners & soon bought up his ton. He got good support from Smith on the other end who played a perfect Test knock. At the end of Day 1, Travis’s scoreboard read 146 runs off 156 balls while Smith’s score read 95 runs off 227 balls. India couldn’t break their rewarding partnership & the day ended with Australia scoring 327 runs with the loss of three wickets.

For India, none of their bowlers looked effective as they managed to scalp one wicket each but at the cost of conceeding huge runs. The duo of Travis & Smith will resume Australia’s innings on Day 2 & would aim to extend their lead further. While Indian bowlers will be in search of early breakthroughs to make a comeback in the race of gleaming WTC Mace.

IND vs AUS WTC Final, Day 1: Brief Scores

Australia 327-3 in 85 overs (Travis Head 146*, Steven Smith 95*, Mohammed Siraj 1-67 ) vs India

Also read, Moeen Ali Set For Test Cricket Comeback In Ashes 2023 Squad

Sarah Shaikh

Creative & Passionate Writer, currently writing my heart out for my favorite sports, Cricket. Die-hard Virat fan & an ardent follower of Indian Premier league, I love to write in-depth match reports & feature articles on renowned cricketers. Bagging experience of writing for leading local publications, I have also worked with some top brands helping them in creating a standout social media identity through my engaging content. A cup of tea & a perfect clutter of words is what I am always fond of!