SYDNEY: Australia won the fifth Test by six wickets against India in Sydney on Sunday to clinch the series 3-1 and clinch the World Test title. Made it to the finals of the championship.
India were bowled out for 157 in 45 minutes in the morning session on day three, adding just 16 to their overnight 141-6 with Scott Boland finishing with 6-45 and 10 wickets for the match.
Set 162 to win, the hosts reached the target before tea against injured strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah, missing a strike to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014-15.
Australia lost three wickets before lunch to leave the Test for good, including Steve Smith who fell just one short of becoming the 15th player and fourth Australian to reach 10,000 Test runs.
But Usman Khawaja scored 41 before Travis Head (34*) and debutant Beau Webster (39*).
“It’s unreal, this (series win against India) is something that some of us haven’t had. It’s been an amazing series. […] It really lived up to all the hype,” said Australia captain Pat Cummins.
“I’m so proud. I love playing with these guys, they’re a special group. I’m proud to get this job and what we’ve been able to achieve together. [I’m] I am quite satisfied at the moment,” he added.
A dramatic visit
The win was enough to ensure Australia would defend the World Test Championship against South Africa in the final at Lord’s in June.
It culminated in a sensational tour full of twists and turns that saw record crowds and some stunning individual performances.
The five-Test series saw the emergence of exciting young talent in the form of Australian opener Sam Konstas and Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
At the same time, aging veterans, especially Rohit Sharma, showed that the clock was ticking on their careers.
India won the first match convincingly in Perth before returning to Australia in the day-night match in Adelaide.
A rain-affected Brisbane clash ended in a draw before the hosts took all the momentum into Sydney with an emphatic fifth-day win in Melbourne.
Indian pace spearhead and skipper Bumrah, who is dealing with a back problem, batted briefly when his side resumed after bowling just one over and leaving the field on Saturday.
But in a major setback, the 31-year-old did not appear again, leaving Mohammad Siraj and Parsed Krishna to lead the bowling attack, with Virat Kohli in charge.
“A little disappointing but sometimes you have to respect your body, and you can’t fight your body,” Bumrah said.
“The whole series was well fought,” he added.
“Young players have come in, and learning will help us in the future. They have gained a lot of experience and will go from strength to strength. It’s all about adapting and learning,” noted the Indian captain. .
Rapid Fire Constas
It was a tough run chase on a seemingly deteriorating surface that offered plenty for the bowlers, but Konstas and Khawaja had other ideas.
They reached 35 in the first three overs, with teenager Konstas out.
It proved his downfall when, on 22, he needlessly skied a good length ball from Prasad to Washington Sundar at mid-off.
Parsed then dismissed Marnus Lebuschgin for six, caught at slip by Yashvi Jaiswal, the same pair stopping a rising ball for Smith for four.
The experienced Khawaja, whose series was in shambles, hit some cracking boundaries en route to 41, but he mistimed a pull shot to Siraj with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
That gave India a glimmer of hope before Head and Webster took the game away. Pant’s counter-attack helped India build a second-innings lead.
Ravindra Jadeja opened on eight and Sundar on six as they dismissed Australia for 181 in reply to their first innings of 185.
Jadeja hit an early boundary off Pat Cummins, but was dismissed two balls later, with wicketkeeper Alex Carey adding to his nightly score of just five.
The Australian captain once again bowled Sundar for 12.
He brought Bumrah to the crease and could only watch as Siraj edged Boland to Khawaja at slip to give the big Australian his fifth wicket.
Boland, whose line and length had been impeccable throughout the series, then bowled Bumrah to end the innings.