AUS vs IND, 5th Test, Day 3: Australia beat India by a margin of 3-1 and regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10-years.
Brief Score: IND 185 & 157 (Rishabh Pant 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 22, Scott Boland 6/45) lost to AUS 181 & 162/4 (Usman Khawaja 41, Beau Webster 39*, Prasidh Krishna 3/65) by 6 wickets.
Australia made light work of a tricky 162-run chase, securing victory by six wickets to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series 3-1. Earlier in the day, Scott Boland registered a brilliant six-wicket haul, wrapping up India’s innings for 157.
This marks Australia's first Border-Gavaskar Trophy series win since their triumph at home in the 2014-15 season.
Talking Point - India bowlers look paralysed without BumrahÂ
The absence of Jasprit Bumrah was really felt by India as their pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna weren't able to exert pressure on Australia. The runs, which came at a premium throughout the Test match, flowed easily in the last innings of this BGT.
It seemed like Aussie batters, especially someone like Khawaja, were able to settle down easily. For the unversed, Bumrah had removed the left-hander six times in this series.
Also, the absence of an experienced fourth pacer was evident here as the Siraj-Prasidh duo almost bowled the entire innings, leaving India with no other options to rely on.
Australia add quick runs after wiping India outÂ
India’s lower-order resistance didn't last long as Australia needed just under eight overs to wrap them up on Day 3. It began with Pat Cummins dismissing Ravindra Jadeja in his second over of the day, followed by removing the last recognized batter, Washington Sundar, a few overs later.
Scott Boland then added two more to his tally, finishing with a 10-wicket haul in the Test. India could add only 16 runs, stretching their lead to 162.
Australia came out all guns blazing in the chase, hammering 35 runs in the first three overs. India had a sigh of relief when Sam Konstas mistimed one off Prasidh Krishna, providing the much-needed breakthrough. The pacer struck twice more in the session, removing Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith in quick succession to give India a glimmer of hope. The home side went into lunch at 71/3, needing 92 more runs to win the series 3-1.
Webster & Head key in Australia’s chase Â
The game was still in the balance heading into what was expected to be the final session of the series. Australia batters Usman Khawaja and Travis Head didn’t let the India pacers settle into a consistent length, clobbering 33 runs in the first five overs of the session.
Mohammed Siraj managed to dismiss Khawaja, but by then, it was too late for India to mount a meaningful resurgence. Beau Webster, who had impressed with a solid debut innings, played positively once again. He and Head added 58 runs in just about nine overs to seal the game and the series for Australia.
Statistical Highlights from AUS vs IND, Fifth Test, Day 3
Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed by Pat Cummins for the fourth time in Tests.
Scott Boland got his second fifer in Tests, and his first 10-fer in a match.
Prasidh Krishna returned his best match figures (6/107)
Mohammed Siraj becomes the tenth India pacer to reach 100 Test wickets.
Travis Head topped the runs chart in BGT 2024-25 with 448 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah topped the wickets chart in BGT 2024-25 with 32 scalps.
What’s Next
With this, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 comes to a close, and India bow out of contention for the World Test Championship final. Australia, on the other hand, have a two-match series in Sri Lanka before they face South Africa in the final at Lord’s later this year.
Read More: AUS vs IND, 5th Test, Day 2: India 145 runs ahead with 4 wickets in hand in neck-to-neck contest
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