IND vs AUS LIVE SCORE, WTC Final Day 1: AUS 175/3; Head brings up century stand with Smith after tea

20:11 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

FOUR! Travis Head brings up the century stand with Steve Smith for the fourth wicket with a solid cover drive off Ravindra Jadeja right after tea! The pair have consumed 171 deliveries in the stand so far, with Head playing the aggressor and having the lion's share of runs scored since the fall of Marnus Labuschagne's wicket. Australia firmly in control at the moment, and will be eyeing finishing with more than 300 runs at the close of play today. AUS 175/3

20:09 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 52 overs,Australia 171/3 ( Steven Smith 33 , Travis Head 60)

Umesh Yadav starts off with a maiden after tea, with just a leg bye getting added to the Aussie total in the first over after tea.

20:08 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

Travis Head and Steve Smith make their way to the centre along with the Indian players and umpires Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth as the final session of the opening day gets underway at The Oval.
 

19:46 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 51 overs,Australia 170/3 ( Steven Smith 33 , Travis Head 60)

TEA ON DAY 1: Ravindra Jadeja bowls out the final over of the session. Travis Head remains unbeaten on 60 off 75 with Steve Smith having faced 102 deliveries for his 33 so far as Australia dominate the second session, collecting 97 runs for the loss of just one wicket, to sit pretty on 170/3. Another session that has firmly belonged to the Aussies, who are off to a fantastic start in the 'Ultimate Test'.

19:38 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

FOUR! Umesh offers Head width, and the latter responds with a firm cut through point, collecting his 10th boundary in the process. AUS 168/3

19:36 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 49 overs,Australia 164/3 ( Steven Smith 33 , Travis Head 54)

Another five minutes to go before players head for tea, and it has been Australia's session all the way. The momentum, however, could shift in India's favour heading into the interval if they are able to break the solid fourth-wicket stand the way Siraj removed Warner before lunch.

19:27 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 46 overs,Australia 161/3 ( Steven Smith 32 , Travis Head 52)

Rohit decides to bring Umesh back into the attack in place of Thakur with another 15 minutes left for tea, hoping the senior Vidarbha pacer is able to break the fourth-wicket partnership that is now touching the century mark and could very well turn out to be a match-defining one. There's plenty of batting to follow for the Aussies with all-rounder Cameron Green and keeper-batter Alex Carey coming in next.

19:21 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

FOUR! Fifty up for Travis Head in 60 deliveries! The southpaw brings up the milestone — his 14th in Test cricket — with a punch through the covers off a short-of-length delivery from Shardul Thakur. This has been some response from Head, who walked in at a time when the Aussies found themselves in a spot of bother with two quick wickets. AUS 160/3

19:20 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 43 overs,Australia 153/3 ( Steven Smith 29 , Travis Head 47)

FOUR! Head decides to break the monotony with a firm drive through the extra cover region — his eighth boundary — after just two singles had been collected in the previous 18 deliveries. With that, the 150 comes up for the Aussies, with Head now one hit away from his half-century.

19:12 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 40 overs,Australia 147/3 ( Steven Smith 29 , Travis Head 41)

Spin introduced for the first time today with Ravindra Jadeja replacing Mohammed Siraj in the attack from the Vauxhall End with two singles and a leg-bye coming off his first over. Thakur then follows up his 16-run over by conceding three singles in his 10th.

18:59 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 38 overs,Australia 141/3 ( Steven Smith 28 , Travis Head 37)

Another 16-run over today and this time it's Shardul Thakur who gets punished for sloppy bowling. Head collects a boundary in the second delivery with a firm cut, getting a thick edge over the slip cordon. What's more, Thakur is found to have overstepped in that delivery. Later, Smith closes out the over with back-to-back fours, working the ball towards opposite sides of the wicket. This right after a maiden from Siraj, his fourth of the day.

18:44 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 36 overs,Australia 125/3 ( Steven Smith 19 , Travis Head 32)

FOUR! Flicked away through the square leg region by Smith off Thakur, collecting what is only his second boundary of the day so far. Brings up the fifty stand for the fourth wicket, does the boundary. Head, in comparision, has collected six already and is batting on 32 off 28 balls. End of the first hour of the second session, and it's time for the players to have a drink.

18:38 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 33 overs,Australia 116/3 ( Steven Smith 13 , Travis Head 29)

Rohit brings Thakur back into the attack, making the first change of the session, giving Shami a break and Siraj a different end to operate from. Thakur oversteps in his first delivery of the new spell, but creates a chance right after by firing a short-of-length delivery to Head, who ends up getting a leading edge towards gully, where the ball lands marginally out of Rahane's reach. Maiden to Siraj in the following over

18:30 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

FOUR! FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Travis Head, who's producing quite the counter-attack at the moment and has managed to put the Indians under pressure right away. Flicks a full delivery going down leg behind square before slashing hard at a short-of-length delivery outside off. He's batting in white-ball mode at the moment and can cause major damage to the Indians unless they are able to keep him quiet somehow. AUS 112/3 in 30.3

18:17 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 30 overs,Australia 104/3 ( Steven Smith 12 , Travis Head 19)

FOUR! Head brings up the 100 for the Aussies with his fourth boundary of the day, once again going for a flick through the midwicket region off a full delivery from Siraj. Later in the over, Smith cops a couple of blows on his back thigh after getting beaten by the inward movement generated by Siraj.

18:09 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 28 overs,Australia 97/3 ( Steven Smith 12 , Travis Head 13)

FOUR! Flicked away effortlessly by Head off a full delivery from Siraj pitched between middle and leg, the ball gliding through the midwicket region and comfortably beating the fielding giving it a chase. The southpaw, who has collected three fours in quick time, moves to double figures in the process.

18:03 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

FOUR! Tickled away towards fine leg by Smith off Shami, beating keeper Bharat diving to his left. A leg-slip in that direction might have come in handy for the Indians on that occasion. AUS 89/3 in 26.2

18:02 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 26 overs,Australia 85/3 ( Steven Smith 5 , Travis Head 8)

Ideal start for the Indians after lunch, with Mohammed Shami getting rid of the top-ranked Test batter with a jaffa as the Aussies lose two wickets for five runs. Travis Head is the next man to walk out to bat, restoring the left-right combination, and he gets off to a confident start with a boundary each off Shami and Siraj.

17:52 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

BOWLED! Mohammed Shami strikes after lunch, getting rid of Marnus Labuschagne (26) with a delivery that jags back in and beats his inside edge to rattle the off stump. Labuschagne departs for 26 as India managed to get rid of Warner and Labuschagne, who had built quite the spirited partnership, on either side of the lunch interval. AUS 76/3

Labuschagne b Shami 26(62)

17:49 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 24 overs,Australia 76/2 ( Marnus Labuschagne 26 , Steven Smith 4)

A tidy over from Siraj to start off in the post-lunch session with three coming off it, including a wide off the first ball. Excellent save by Shami near the fine leg boundary in the third delivery to save a couple of runs for the fielding side and restrict Smith to a double.

17:47 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

Mohammed Siraj starts off with the ball in hand after lunch with ex-skipper Steve Smith on strike. India will need an early wicket or two if they are to exert pressure again.

17:11 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 23 overs,Australia 73/2 ( Marnus Labuschagne 26 , Steven Smith 2)

LUNCH ON DAY 1: Umesh Yadav bowls out the final over before lunch, conceding just a single with new batter and former captain Steve Smith moving to 2 as Australia end what turned out to be a fine morning session after getting invited to bat despite losing the wicket of Usman Khawaja early. Bright sunshine in London at the moment, and if it continues that way in the second session as well, both Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will back themselves to take full toll of the Indian bowlers.

We'll be back in sometime for our coverage of the second session. Don't go anywhere.

16:59 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

OUT! Shardul Thakur strikes minutes before lunch, getting rid of the set batter in David Warner — who ends up getting caught-behind after getting strangled down the leg side. AUS 71/2

Warner c Bharat b Thakur 43(60)

16:58 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 20 overs,Australia 62/1 ( David Warner 39 , Marnus Labuschagne 22)

Umesh manages to keep things tidy after going for 16 in his second over, conceding just one off the next two including a maiden. Just two runs off the 20th, bowled by Thakur.

16:45 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 18 overs,Australia 60/1 ( David Warner 39 , Marnus Labuschagne 20)

Thakur appeals twice for leg-before against Labuschagne in successive overs, with India skipper Rohit opting to review on both occasions after the umpire shakes his head. The first one's 'Umpire's Call' while the ball is shown to be sailing over the stumps in the second, resulting in India losing their review.

16:33 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 15 overs,Australia 54/1 ( David Warner 37 , Marnus Labuschagne 16)

Four. Dot. Four. Four. Four. David Warner launches a full-scale attack against some wayward stuff from Umesh Yadav, who is off to an expensive start after being introduced on the other side of the drinks interval. 16 off the Vidarbha seamer's second over with the fifty partnership coming up for the second wicket in the process.

16:29 (IST)

IND vs AUS WTC Final LIVE

After 14 overs,Australia 38/1 ( David Warner 21 , Marnus Labuschagne 16)

Change from both ends following the drinks interval, with Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur replacing Shami and Siraj respectively. Both concede a boundary in their first overs — Warner going for a cover drive off a full, wide delivery from Umesh and Labuschagne punching the ball down the ground off Thakur.

16:13 (IST)

India vs Australia, ICC WTC Final LIVE Score

After 12 overs,Australia 29/1 ( David Warner 17 , Marnus Labuschagne 11)

Labuschagne clips a full delivery from Siraj through the midwicket region, getting enough timing on the shot for it to be a boundary in most venues across the world. The huge boundaries at the Oval, however, gives the fielder a chance to save a run and that's what Shardul Thakur ends up doing. Drinks brought to the field at the end of this over, marking the end of the first hour of play. Expect a bowling change or two after this interval.

16:04 (IST)

India vs Australia WTC Final LIVE Cricket Score

FOUR! Pitched slightly short by Shami, and Warner has little issue pulling this in front of square. The sweeper runs to his right from deep square-leg, but is unable to get to the ball on time. AUS 26/1

16:03 (IST)

India vs Australia WTC Final LIVE Cricket Score

After 10 overs,Australia 22/1 ( David Warner 13 , Marnus Labuschagne 8)

Just one run collected in the last two overs, with Siraj collecting his second maiden of the day. Siraj appeals for LBW in the final delivery of the 10th, but the umpire shakes his head.

15:56 (IST)

India vs Australia WTC Final LIVE Cricket Score

After 8 overs,Australia 21/1 ( David Warner 13 , Marnus Labuschagne 7)

OUCH! Labuschagne cops a painful blow on his left thumb, getting hit by a delivery that lifts off after being dug in short by Siraj, with the bat flying out from his grasp. The world No 1 Test batter takes a bit to recuperate from the blow before resuming his innings. Gets off strike two balls later, clipping the ball through the leg side and getting enough time to come back for a third.

15:33 (IST)

India vs Australia WTC Final LIVE Cricket Score

After 6 overs,Australia 16/1 ( David Warner 12 , Marnus Labuschagne 3)

FOUR! Short and wide from Siraj, Warner gets a thick outside edge off a slash with the ball flying over the slip cordon and away to the third man fence, resulting in the first boundary of the Australian innings. Warner follows it up with a punch wide of mid on, getting enough time to come back for a third.
 

15:30 (IST)

India vs Australia WTC Final LIVE Cricket Score

After 4 overs,Australia 4/1 ( David Warner 2 , Marnus Labuschagne 2)

David Warner opens Australia's account with a brace in the third over of the innings, clipping the ball through the midwicket region. Siraj strikes in the following over, reaping the reward for persisting with a tight line to Khawaja. Labuschagne joins Warner at the centre, and gets off the mark right away with a brace off a glance towards fine leg.

15:18 (IST)

India vs Australia WTC Final LIVE Cricket Score

OUT! Siraj draws first blood, as Khawaja departs for a duck! The Hyderabad seamer had bowling a series of testing deliveries to the left-hander from over the wicket, and got one to nip slightly away and kiss the outside edge that resulted in a comfortable catch for keeper Bharat. AUS 2/1

Khawaja c Bharat b Siraj 0

15:13 (IST)

India vs Australia WTC Final LIVE Cricket Score

After 2 overs,Australia 0/0 ( David Warner 0 , Usman Khawaja 0)

Back-to-back maidens at the start of the Aussie innings, with Shami's new ball partner Mohammed Siraj too starting off on a tidy note.

15:08 (IST)

India vs Australia, ICC WTC Final LIVE Score

After 1 over,Australia 0/0 ( David Warner 0 , Usman Khawaja 0)

Shami starts off on a tidy note, extracting plenty of seam movement in the first over with one delivery jagging back in sharply and sailing narrowly over the stumps after David Warner, the man on strike first up, shapes for a leave. Maiden.

15:02 (IST)

India vs Australia, ICC WTC Final LIVE Score

A minute's silence is observed at The Oval in memory of the victims of the train disaster in Odisha last week. That is followed by the national anthems of the two teams, starting with the Jana Gana Mana, before the players make their way to the centre for the start of play.

Mohammed Shami has the ball in hand for the first over while David Warner prepares to face the first delivery.

14:41 (IST)

India vs Australia, ICC WTC Final LIVE Score

Teams:

Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

14:40 (IST)

India vs Australia, ICC WTC Final LIVE Score

Rohit Sharma, India captain: We’re going to bowl. Just the conditions, and the weather being overcast as well. Don’t think the pitch will change too much. We’ve got four seamers and one spinner — Ravindra Jadeja. It’s always been tough, he’s been such a match-winner. You’ve got to do the things that’s needed for the team.

Pat Cummins, Australia captain: We would’ve had a bowl as well, but it wouldn’t have made a difference. Hopefully Day 4 and 5 there will be a bit of spin. Just a little bit of grass, should be a great weapon. We’ve been here for a while, some of the guys a bit longer playing county cricket.

14:34 (IST)

India vs Australia, ICC WTC Final LIVE Score

TOSS: India win the toss, and skipper Rohit Sharma opts to field

14:29 (IST)

Kumar Sangakkara and Dinesh Karthik analyse the Oval pitch:

Sanga: “Very much early summer. It is overcast, so there will be swing. The fist time the Oval is hosting a Test this early. Lovely covering of grass, so there will be seam as well. Oval as close to Australia as it gets. Will be interesting for the two captains. Captains might look to bowl first.”

DK: “Pat Cummins being a bowling captain, will look to bowl first. Rohit could end up playing four medium pacers. They will get the feeling a lot of cricket will be played in the first three days and that’s where the pacers could play a big role.”

14:20 (IST)

Coach Rahul Dravid on the pressure of winning an ICC title for the Indian team

"No, not at all. I mean we don’t feel any pressure in terms of trying to win an ICC trophy. Of course it would be nice to do it. It would be certainly nice to be able to win an ICC tournament.

"But also in the context of things, you look at this and you see this is the culmination of two years of work. It’s a culmination of a lot of success that gets you here."

14:13 (IST)

Trivia: The winner (India or Australia) of the WTC final 2023 will become the first team to win all three major ICC titles -- ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and ICC Test mace.

14:07 (IST)

Pat Cummins feels experience will held Australia in WTC final: 

“You know, one thing about playing lots of cricket is you get experience in pressure moments and finals, you know, there’s no higher pressure situation. So again, that’s one of the benefits of having an experienced side.

13:58 (IST)

Rohit Sharma speaks ahead of the WTC final: 

“The players know when India won and when they didn’t. I don’t think it is right to think about it again and again. You have to focus on the situation and how we can do better. All the players and coaching staff are focused on how we can do well in this match and win. Because what has happened and what is going to happen in the future, there is no point in thinking about that. It is very important to think about the present. Our team’s focus is on how we will win this match.”

13:43 (IST)

WTC Final squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat

Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Marcus Harris

13:28 (IST)

London weather report: England is known for rain interrupting Test matches but for now the weather forecast is mixed for London during the WTC final. Rain should not have much impact on the first three days (7-9 June) while temperatures are expected to be between 202-25 Celsius. Rain however is predicted for Day 4, 5 and the reserve day.

13:24 (IST)

India and Australia's record at The Oval:

India: Played - 14. Won - 2. Lost - 5. Draw - 7.

Australia: Played - 38. Won - 7. Lost - 17. Draw - 14.

Both teams have a less-than-impressive record at The Oval.

While India and Australia have never faced each other at a neutral venue, overall, they have played 106 Tests of which Australia have won 44 while India have won 32, with 29 ending in a draw and 1 in a tie.

13:14 (IST)

WTC Final live streaming: The WTC Final 2023 will be broadcast on the Star Sports network and live streaming will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.

13:09 (IST)

The Oval pitch report: There's no official word on this but the pitches in Oval over the years have always offered bounce and while it has been helpful for pacers, it's the third favourite pitch for spinners in England in terms of average. The biggest difference this time however is that in 140 years of history of The Oval first time a Test will take place in the stadium in June. The Oval is known for Tests in August and September. This means the pitch should be fresh. It can be fast and bouncy or unpredictable.