India finished the second day of the WTC Final at 151/5, meaning they still trail Australia by 318 runs and need another 118 to escape a follow-on. After a shaky period where five wickets fell, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja steadied the ship with a key 71-run partnership. Jadeja narrowly missed his half-century with 48, while Rahane remained 29 not out at the end of play. Australia's bowling unit was clinical, with each of the five bowlers picking up a wicket.
Team India ended Day 2 of the WTC Final on 151/5, trailing Australia by 318 runs and still needing 118 runs to avoid a follow-on. India lost half of its side in the second half of the day. However, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja produced a crucial partnership of 71 runs for the fifth wicket. Jadeja (48) missed out on a well-deserved half-century while Rahane remained unbeaten on 29 at Stumps. All five of Australia’s bowlers took a wicket each.
The day started with Australia in a strong position, as Steve Smith reached his 31st Test hundred. He and Travis Head dominated the scoring until Mohammed Siraj ended their 285-run stand by dismissing Head for 163. The collapse followed quickly: Mohammed Shami got rid of Cameron Green for a mere 6, and Shardul Thakur cleaned up Smith for 121 with a brilliant delivery.
Alex Carey added a useful 48, though the rest of the Australian batting lineup fell cheaply. This brought Australia's first-innings total to a challenging 469. India's bowling effort was led by Siraj, who took four wickets, while Shami and Thakur chipped in with two apiece.
India's innings began brightly, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill putting on 30 runs in the first five overs. However, the tide turned when Pat Cummins trapped Sharma (15) LBW, sparking a collapse. Scott Boland then produced a stunning delivery to bowl Gill for 13, and soon after, Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc removed the key batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara (14) and Virat Kohli (14). Now, the hopes of India staying competitive in this final rest on Rahane and Srikar Bharat to deliver a massive performance.