‘Swiftly moved to criticising Umesh’s selection’ - Aakash Chopra lambasts people for chastising India's XI for WTC final

Day 3 of the World Test Championship final (WTC) 2023 was quite an eventful one for both sides. India valiantly fought back with the bat in the first innings, and were quick to pile on the pressure with a superb display with the ball as well.

However, before the clash between India and Australia began, many people came forward to criticise the line-up that the Indian team decided to field for the game. Veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin was left out of the squad, and Shardul Thakur was given a chance in the side. Furthermore, Umesh Yadav featured in the line-up as well.

However, the selection of Thakur seems to have worked wonders for India, as he took two wickets in the first innings and even scored 51 runs in 109 deliveries to help the side post a respectable total on the board. His performances saw the fans divert their criticism solely towards Umesh Yadav, who is yet to put up a decent performance with the ball in hand in the match so far.

Witnessing an unrelenting attack directed towards the players, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra took to Twitter to give his take on the matter. He opined that the people who were criticising Thakur on Day 1, were quick to move their criticism onto Umesh Yadav on Day 3. 

"People who were criticising Shardul’s selection on Day-1…have swiftly moved to criticising Umesh’s selection on Day-3," Aakash Chopra tweeted. 

People who were criticising Shardul’s selection on Day-1…have swiftly moved to criticising Umesh’s selection on Day-3

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 9, 2023

Australia in trouble following early wickets in second innings

Following their valiant effort with the bat, the Rohit Sharma-led India followed it up with a just as impressive showing with the ball in Australia’s second innings.

Openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja were both dismissed cheaply for one and 13 runs, respectively. Furthermore, Steve Smith and Travis Head failed to make an impact following their brilliant knocks in the first innings. Australia lost four wickets by the end of Day 3, and it would be interesting to see how they bounce back as Day 4 of the WTC final approaches.