"They're probably 1 or 2 wickets too many tonight" - Justin Langer on India's chances of winning WTC 2023 final

Former Australian Head coach Justin Langer feels that India may have lost a couple of wickets too many in their pursuit of an improbable target of 444 in the WTC final at the Oval.

At stumps on Day 4, Rohit Sharma's men are reasonably placed at 164-3, with Virat Kohli looking good on 44 and Ajinkya Rahane giving him company unbeaten on 20.

Despite the excellent showing with the bat so far in the second innings, the former Australian opener felt that the skipper Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara would be highly disappointed with their dismissals.

Langer told ICC at the close of Day 4:

"I still think they're probably 1 or 2 wickets too many tonight, I am sure Rohit Sharma the captain will be very disappointed with his dismissal and then Pujara with his dismissal after Rohit Sharma, within an over of each other. Pujara is the concentration king, it's one of the few lapses in concentration we've seen from Pujara for as long as I've been watching him over the last few years."

While Sharma was dismissed LBW attempting a lap shot off Nathan Lyon, Pujara fell in the most unlikely manner by trying to play a ramp shot and giving catching practice to Alex Carey.

Indian wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik also chimed in and felt that the openers for India, Sharma, and Shubman Gill, provided an excellent start in both innings when it is usually the hardest to bat in English conditions. He said:

"I think the best part about both the starts they've given in the first and second innings is the intent they've shown with the hard new Dukes ball. It's always hard to get off to a good start but both these openers ( Rohit and Shubman) made it look far easier than what it was. That is the calibre of the player as well, what they couldn't do is move on and make a big inning when they've done the hard yards initially dealing with the Dukes ball."

The Indian openers put on 30 and 41 at a good clip in both innings, providing the perfect platform, despite not converting the starts into big scores.

Gill's dismissal in the second innings was a huge discussion point, with several divided opinions over whether Cameron Green's stunning catch was clean.

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"I can't believe I am in London, and I've been sunburnt both days" - Justin Langer

Justin Langer also expressed surprise at the excellent weather conditions at the Oval in London that have made for spectacular Test cricket over the first four days of the WTC final.

Renowned for its cloudy conditions and the occasional rain, the weather this week has been sunny throughout, enabling perfect conditions for the players involved and the crowd.

"I can't believe I am in London, and I've been sunburnt both days, the sun's out, it's been immaculate weather where we could not have asked for anything better for both teams so it's incredible that the conditions have been perfect, the ground's been perfect, the crowd's been excellent and it has been a wonderful Test match," said Langer.

Before the game, inclement weather was predicted on Days four and five, but the rain stayed away through the first four days. The forecast for the final day also remains promising as we get set for a potentially thrilling end to the WTC 2023 final.