WTC Final: Sunil Gavaskar recalls Dravid-Laxman partnership, sets priorities for Team India after batting debacle

After Australia set a mammoth total of 469 in their first innings of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at the Oval, India faced a batting debacle on Thursday.

As per the legendry batsman and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, the primary objective for the Indian team should be to surpass the follow-on score. This would require India to score a minimum of 320 runs in their next innings which is a challenging feat given the current state of the game.

“What the Australians have seen in 2001 when Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had that massive partnership. They batted for almost two days. Then India came back on the last day and dismiss Australia to win. And then went on to win the last Test as well. I do not think Australia will entertain any thoughts of giving a follow on. Because if they do, and India bat well. India have the ability. They made some misjudgments. They made some errors,” said Gavaskar during an interview.

“India could score some runs like it happened at the Eden Gardens. On the last day when the ball is turning, Ravindra Jadeja can create some magic. So, India’s first target would be to get past that score of 269 and try and reduce the lead as much as possible,” said the former India captain.