Sourav Ganguly takes a jibe at Rohit, Kohli after Rahane and Thakur's partnership

Sourav Ganguly took a jibe at India's top order following Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur's partnership in the ICC WTC final.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly lauded the exceptional partnership between Rahane and Thakur, emphasizing the valuable message they conveyed to the Indian top-order regarding patience and resilience in challenging overseas conditions.

"They showed it to the dressing room that if you apply and have a little bit of luck then you will be able to score runs on this wicket. Credit to Rahane, he was magnificent. Shardul got battered and bruised early on but he hung in there. He has batted well in the past in England and Australia. It's a good fightback from India. This is a message to the top order," Ganguly said in the post-lunch show on Star Sports.

Rahane missed out on a 100

India suffered an early setback as KS Bharat fell victim to Scott Boland's delivery in just the second ball of the day. Initially, it appeared that Australia had the upper hand, poised to amass a significant lead and potentially enforce a follow-on. However, Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur turned the tide with a determined partnership that steered India to the lunch break.

Thakur, in particular, endured a barrage of blows from Pat Cummins before the momentum shifted in his favor. In the final over, Cummins managed to dismiss Thakur LBW, but the decision was overturned due to his overstepping, similar to his dismissal of Rahane on Day 2.

Rahane and Thakur's resilient alliance reached an impressive 108 runs, with Rahane, making his first Test appearance since January 2022, on the brink of his 13th century, 11 runs away. However, his innings came to an end early in the second session, as Pat Cummins claimed his wicket on 89, courtesy of an exceptional catch by Cameron Green.

India have avoided the follow-on

At the start of day 3, India needed 119 runs to avoid the follow-on. Ajinkya Rahane's 89 and Shardul Thakur's 51 played crucial roles as India's innings concluded at 296 runs. Australia maintains a lead of 173 runs. Nonetheless, India's commendable performance means that Australia will be required to bat again since the Indian team successfully avoided the follow-on.