“Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara will be kicking themselves” - Ravi Shastri criticizes duo for playing poor shots on Day 4 of WTC final

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri reckons that skipper Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara will be kicking themselves for throwing their wickets away after batting beautifully on Day 4 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.

Set to chase 444 at The Oval on Saturday, India lost Shubman Gill for 18 after he had added 41 for the opening stand with Rohit (43). The Indian captain and Cheteshwar Pujara (27) then added 51 for the second wicket. However, both gifted their wickets away.

While Rohit was trapped leg before by Nathan Lyon, attempting a lap sweep, Pujara tried to uppercut Pat Cummins but edged the ball to the keeper.

Speaking on Star Sports after the end of play on Day 4, Shastri was critical of the senior duo for letting the team down.

"You know what's amazed me though is the way that the pitch has behaved. Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara will be kicking themselves for playing the shots that they played. They were poor shots when they were batting beautifully," he said.

Shastri, however, asserted that India are still not out of the race to win the WTC 2023 final.

"Very much a possibility. This game shows us strange things. It has to be a world record chase,” he added.

India will resume Day 5 at 164/3, needing a further 280 runs for a historic win. No team has successfully chased more than 263 at The Oval to win a Test match.

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“It is about weathering the storm in the first hour” - Ravi Shastri on India’s chances in WTC final

While Australia are in the driver’s seat in the WTC final, Shastri reckons that the first hour on Day 5 will be crucial for India.

The former all-rounder said:

"The pitch has eased out, the sting is gone, and it made batting a lot easier. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have been in no trouble whatsoever. They have batted beautifully and scored quite easily. It is about coming out tomorrow and weathering the storm in the first hour, that will be crucial for me.”

India’s hopes of a record chase will rest firmly on overnight batters Virat Kohli (44*) and Ajinkya Rahane (20*), who have added 71 runs for the fourth wicket so far.