Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur expressed his belief that even a daunting target of 450 runs can be successfully chased down in the final of the World Test Championship. After the conclusion of Day 3 in the WTC Final at the Kennington Oval, Australia was leading India by 296 runs. Shardul, speaking at the press conference, emphasized the potential for victory through a strong partnership. In the first innings of the WTC Final, Shardul contributed with a half-century to help India reach a total of 296 runs.

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“Cricket is a funny game. You can never say what is the right total and in this one-off game, especially the ICC finals, you never know who can handle the pressure better out there. With one good partnership, you can even chase down 450 or maybe more than that,” Shardul stated confidently.

He further drew attention to the fact that England had chased down a target close to 400 runs against India in their one-off Test in Birmingham last year. England had successfully pursued a target of 378 runs, resulting in a 2-2 series draw against India in June 2022.

“Last year, England chased 400 here and they did not lose too many wickets. So, that’s a positive sign for us. Whatever they put up on the board, it’s too early to make any predictions. We see a lot of times in Test cricket that the game changes within an hour. So, yes, we like to be optimistic tomorrow when we step onto the field. And yeah, we’ll take it from there,” Shardul added optimistically.

Reflecting on his partnership with Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul mentioned that their focus was on absorbing the pressure and maintaining constant communication during their crucial 109-run stand for the seventh wicket on Day 3.

“We didn’t decide anything. There was no situation to decide anything. We just had to absorb the pressure. We were talking to each other a lot,” Shardul shared.

Meanwhile, Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc revealed that they intend to continue batting on Day 4, expressing hope that the pitch would start exhibiting more tricks during the fourth innings. Australia had posted a formidable total of 469 runs in their first innings and ended Day 3 at 123 for 4.

“I haven’t spoken to Pete (Pat Cummins) yet, so I don’t know. It’s not my decision. I’ll keep batting for now. I’ve still got two days to play. The weather’s been good. I think it’s warmer tomorrow. Hopefully, the pitch starts playing a few more tricks. As far as I know, we’re still batting tomorrow,” Starc remarked.

India will be eagerly seeking their first ICC trophy in almost a decade as they strive to defeat Australia in the WTC Final in London.