LONDON (AP) — Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur rode their luck against Australia to lead India's revival to 260-6 at lunch on the third day of the World Test Championship final at the Oval on Friday.
Rahane was dropped once and survived an Australia review on the umpire's not out call. Thakur was dropped twice and survived a leg before decision when Australia captain Pat Cummins committed yet another no ball.
By lunch, Rahane progressed from 29 overnight to 89, his best score in 2 1/2 years, and Thakur was on 36. Their incredibly fraught and ferocious stand was an unbeaten 108 runs from 22 overs, easily India's best partnership so far in reply to Australia's 469.
So anxious were Indian fans on a sunny morning when their team resumed on a precarious 151-5 that they cheered for defensive strokes, then scoring shots as Rahane and Thakur got lucky and got in the flow.
An engrossing first hour on a pitch of variable bounce seemed like producing a wicket on every ball, but the longer Rahane and Thakur endured the more they thrived as Australia's bowling became looser and offered more bad balls to hit over a fast outfield.
Scott Boland removed overnight batsman Srikar Bharat with the second ball of the day but Australia had no luck after that.
A terrific in-seamer bowled Bharat's off stump for 5 and, in the same over, Thakur had yet to score when he edged Boland high above third slip but Usman Khawaja couldn't bring down the hard chance.
Thakur was hit twice on the back of his right forearm by consecutive balls from Cummins and carried on with a painkiller and arm guard. He was dropped again on 8 by Cameron Green at gully off Cummins.
Rahane brought up his fifty off 92 balls by pulling Cummins way over the long leg boundary, and was on 53 when his knee roll was struck by Green. Rahane survived Australia's review on the umpire's not out call on leg stump. He rubbed in his fortune on the Australians by spanking the next two balls to the boundary over the slips and through the covers.
On 72, Rahane was dropped again off Cummins by Smith at first slip. He had 11 boundaries by lunch.
Cummins was central again just three minutes before lunch when he had Thakur lbw on 36. But Tharkur's review showed Cummins overstepped. A no ball also cost Cummins the wicket of Rahane late Thursday. The captain has six no balls in 16 overs.
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