Aiden Markram's brilliant century in the WTC final put South Africa on the brink of a historic win. Day 3 did not start well for South Africa as a 59-run partnership for the last wicket between Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc frustrated the Proteas. It also helped Australia set a target of 282 for South Africa to win the WTC. At this point, Australia were firm favourites to win the match, but Markram's brilliance caught Australia off guard.

Markram scored 102 in just 159 balls till stumps on Day 3 to put South Africa at a touching distance of a historic win. Markram got support from captain Temba Bavuma, who, despite struggling with a hamstring injury, scored an unbeaten 65 and stitched a 143* run partnership with Markram for the third wicket.

Virat Kohli's Old Tweet Resurfaces

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli's old tweet on Markram after the WTC brilliance went viral on social media. Impressed by Markram's brilliant 84 in the second innings of the Test match at Cape Town against Australia in 2018, Kohli took to X to shower praise on the South Africa batter. "Aiden Markram is a delight to watch!" wrote Kohli on X (then Twitter).

Markram Shatters Records As South Africa Inch Closer To WTC title

Meanwhile, the hundred by Markram was special in many ways. Markram became only the third batter after Steve Smith and Travis Head, and first in the fourth innings, to score a century in the World Test Championship final. Also, this was Markram's third hundred in the fourth innings of a Test match. He surpassed South Africa great AB de Villiers, who scored two centuries, in the list of most hundreds in the second innings. Only Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and former Proteas skipper Graeme Smith, who scored four centuries, are ahead of Markram in the list.

Markram also became the ninth batter to register a duck and a hundred in the same Test at Lord’s, third since 1980 after Michael Vaughan against India in 2002 and Misbah-ul-Haq against England in 2016.

Meanwhile, with 69 needed on the fourth day, South Africa are favourites to win, but they are known to choke under pressure and Australia would feel a wicket or two early on Day 4 could trigger panic in the Proteas camp.

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