Indian veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik feels that Australia has the upper hand to win the fifth and final test of the high-octane Ashes series in the Oval. Pat Cummins-led side will be hoping to win the first away Ashes series after 2001.
Australia has retained the Urn after drawing the fourth Test in Manchester due to rain playing spoilsport in the last two days and the Baggy Greens were under the pump in most of this game in Oval before Australian openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner put in an impressive unbeaten partnership of 135 runs in a record chase of 384 runs to keep their team in hunt to chase down the total in the cracking final day of the series.
Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket, Dinesh Karthik believes that Australia has a chance to win the series 3-1 against the home side and backs the Pat Cummins-led side to give their all to win the series on the away soil as it would final Ashes for most of the Australian players who are in the twilight of their careers and reckons that they would be pumped up to do well, especially with last two games not going their way.
“Australia has a chance of making it 3-1 and that’s where the pressure kicks in. I back Australia and I say that because there are people playing their last Ashes and they will want to make their mark.
“The last two games haven’t exactly gone to plan for them and here is a chance to make amends and get retribution. I am going 51 per cent Australia, 49 per cent England,” Dinesh Karthik said.
Australia will be heading into the final day of the Ashes needing 249 runs to win the series in England and they have got experienced David Warner and Usman Khawaja in the middle as they showed a lot of composure and determination to play out the tough phase on Day 4 of the game.
Earlier, England could only add six runs to their tally in the 2nd innings before being bowled for 395 in their second innings at The Oval.
Experienced Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne would be key players for the team in the chase as the pitch usually offers spin on the final day of the game. Baggy Greens would look to achieve a 3-1 triumph while even a draw would ensure Australia’s first series victory in England for 22 years.