Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Siraj were two of the best bowlers for India on day one of the ICC WTC 2023 Final which got under way at the Oval in London on June 7, 2023, where the Indian team plays Australia.
Rohit Sharma started off well, winning the toss, choosing to field first keeping the overcast conditions in mind.
Mohammed Siraj gave them a good start by dismissing Usman Khawaja for a duck and then Shardul Thakur accounted for David Warner for 43 runs. Though Marnus Labuschagne looked good for his 26, Mohammad Shami had the better of him as he rattled his timber shortly after lunch, leaving Australia 76/3.
But then Travis Head (146*) and Steve Smith (95*) added 251 runs for the fourth wicket and hammered the Indian bowlers to all parts of the Oval ground. Shami and Siraj didn’t get much backup from Shardul Thakur, while Umesh Yadav was particularly unimpressive.
Pakistan unwilling to play World Cup 2023 games in Ahmedabad unless it is final: Report
However, Shami looked dangerous in his later spells and in the second session, delivered a brilliant ball to Smith. The Australian vice-captain judged the delivery to perfection and left the ball safely, but he was visibly impressed by Shami's brilliance.
He made quite an impressive face and even nodded his head in appreciation for Shami, while signalling that the ball came in to him.
Here is the video:
The Australian team ended day one on 327/3.
