WTC Final 2023: There will be pressure, but India can also put up a big score on Oval pitch – Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar feels there will be pressure but India can also put up a big score on the Oval pitch in the WTC Final against Australia. The Pat Cummins-led team is in a dominating position at 327-3 at the end of the opening day’s play with Travis Head (146*) and Steve Smith (95*) batting at the crease.

Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl first in overcast conditions but the pitch got flatter as the day progressed. In fact, Australia could only score 73 runs in the opening session but they changed gears to score 97 and 157 runs in the next two sessions of the opening day.

Ergo, Australia racked up a huge score on the board and looks all set to post more than 500 runs in the first essay. However, Indian batters like Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane are in good form after impressive IPL 2023 and they will be looking to match Australia’s first-innings score.

Manjrekar feels India must bowl with patience and keep a lid on the scoring rate on the second day’s play.

Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo: “India will have to bowl with patience on Day 2. If there is a partnership, runs can be scored quickly on this ground. India will have to stop that. If the partnership continues, not only Jadeja, but the other bowlers as well with have to try and keep things tight.”

Manjrekar added India will make a good comeback if they can keep Australia under 400 runs.

“If India are able to bowl out Australia for under 400, it would be a very good comeback. India will have to bat very well in the first innings to make this match exciting. No edge carried to slip on Day 1, so this pitch might be favoring batters a lot more. We could entertain the thought that India too might be able to bat well on this surface.

“There will be pressure, but India can also put up a big score on this pitch.”

Meanwhile, Indian bowlers bowled full lengths to Travis Head and the left-hander accepted the invitation to score his runs at a brisk pace. The fast bowlers then shortened their length against the southpaw and it kept him a bit quiet. Ergo, Manjrekar feels the tactics that India employed came after the damage was already done.

He elaborated: “Head is a special player, but the one mistake I feel India made throughout the day was that the tactics they employed came a bit late. In the first session, the ball was swinging, and there as a lot of playing and missing. If batters are playing and missing, that means the bowlers are bowling shorter. Had they bowled a fuller line, things might have been different.“In the second session, [Mohammed] Shami bowled it up to the batter and dismissed [Marnus] Labuschagne.”

Manjrekar added, “The bouncer was used more in the second session and less in the first, but by then the batters were set. The timing of the tactics was not quite right.”

Indian bowlers will need to turn the tables against Australia in order to stage a comeback.