Team India pacer Mohammed Shami insisted that they are confident of pulling off a victory on day five of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Kennington Oval. The right-arm seamer stated that their performance in overseas conditions have seen a marked improvement over the years and doesn't see why India can't get over the line.
India reached 164-3 at stumps on day four of the showpiece event at the venue, needing another 280 runs to not only win the mace, but record the highest run-chase in Test history. With Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane looking fluent, India have a shot at chasing it down.
In a press conference after the fourth day's play, the 32-year-old remarked:
"One hundred percent everyone believes that tomorrow we will win the match. We always fight, we perform well around the world. So we believe and we will all come together to win this match. It doesn't matter what happened in Sydney or Brisbane, we are playing here. We have to think about tomorrow and we will win the match."
"If you bat well, 280 runs is not a big score" - Mohammed Shami
Shami further said that India must play ball by ball apart from focusing on small goals to achieve success. He added:
"I believe that the Test match should go until the fifth day and maybe until the last session. That's the real test. So we have to bat well and they have to bowl well to save themselves. If you bat well, 280 runs is not a big score. So I think you should bat normally as a Test match; focus on playing ball by ball. You should not look at the long target. When you keep small goals and targets, you will get more success."
Nevertheless, Australia will also know that one wicket in the morning session could open the floodgates for them.
